DARTMOUTH – The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia officially matched its first post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, dog with a first responder.
The match on Tuesday is part of a new program to help people cope with PTSD.
Tru the dog was matched with Sonny Wicks, who was a RCMP auxiliary member for 15 years.
Wicks used to work for Brinks and now does security work. He contacted his doctor for help and was prescribed a service dog.
He then got in touch with Medric Cousineau, who runs Paws Fur Thoughts, a program that helps military veterans.
Cousineau put Wicks in touch with the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, which started a program for first responders last fall. Since then, the foundation has raised enough money for 32 service dogs. Each dog cost $3,500 to train.
“Sonny is the perfect person to be matched with the first responder service dog because of his experience as a security guard and policing as an RCMP auxiliary officer,” said Starr Dobson, the president and CEO of the Mental Health Foundation.
Tru and Wicks first met for ten days last Christmas.
Wicks took full possession of Tru last Friday and they quickly formed a bond.
“The very first night at home, I had a night terror,” said Wicks. “The dog woke me up, licking my face, nudging me and got me up. So it started working right away.”
Dobson said service dogs don’t just change lives, they save lives.
“The stats are very clear,’ she said. “No one matched with a PTSD service dog has taken their life by suicide.”
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