A former Army medic and PTSD sufferer has called for greater public awareness of the work of assistance dogs.
Richard Mearns was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and his work as a medic exposed him to horrific casualties that led to the anxiety disorder, with which he was diagnosed in 2009.
Veterans with Dogs introduced Richard to Ziggy, a Labrador trained to help him calm down when his PTSD causes flashbacks or anxiety. This proved to be life changing for him and Richard has now launched the #NotJustADog campaign to boost awareness of assistance dogs and strengthen regulations, aiming to bring about a central database for assistance dogs, create regulations for assistance dog trainers and for local authorities to take responsibility when there are breaches of the law.
Carl Gerrard, of Gloucestershire-based dog training and rehoming centre CK9School, which is supporting Richard’s campaign, said: “Former soldiers and other army personnel need all the support we can give them, as do other people with mental health problems…
“Assistance dogs are just one of the many ways we could be helping people with mental health problems.”
