I think one of the reasons I still get two morning newspapers is because of the comic section. Even though the newspapers have grown smaller and smaller — and I grumble about it — reading the comics every morning is enjoyable. I know I can read them online and I do that, too. But I like my morning newspaper comics, in the newspaper.
Many of the comics strike close to home. As Greg Evans’ “Luann” and Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman’s “Zits” show their characters going through adolescence, I compare them to certain teenagers in my life. And of course, some of the strips portraying dogs often drive me crazy – “If you trained your dog that wouldn’t happen!”
But one strip has really hit close to home the past few months. “Funky Winkerbean” by Tom Batiuk is showing one of its characters, Wally, a war veteran, getting a service dog to help him deal with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His new dog was trained by one of the groups that places puppies with prisoners for socialization and training, and then places the dogs with veterans.
My dog training group, Kindred Spirits, also trains service dogs and since we’re so close to U.S. Marine Corps’ Camp Pendleton, we have worked with several veterans to help train and certify their dogs. A few of the veterans have had physical injuries with lasting effects and we’re helping with mobility assistance skills,but almost all of the guys have PTSD and need some canine assistance with that, too.
As a Navy and Marine Corps veteran myself I can speak first-hand about the trauma of PTSD. In simplistic terms, PTSD is a survival mechanism; it kicks in that “fight or flight” instinct. Once the sailor, soldier or Marine is back in civilization, though, that instinct is often in overdrive and out of place. And the dangers seem real: Acar backfires and the soldier or Marine drops to the floor in the grocery store. Or the service member goes to the local county fair or a concert and the crowd hems him in.
PTSD doesn’t always show up right away. The mind can close those wounds away and it may come back full force later. Many Vietnam veterans didn’t show signs of PTSD until after 9-11. Then the veterans mental health clinics were swamped. Unfortunately, also, that PTSD can last a lifetime. The veteran can sometimes learn to control himself or herself, can learn to recognise triggers, but rarely does the PTSD go away.
Dogs are a huge help for many with PTSD. For me, Bashir reads my moods and when I begin to get angry — my usual response – he leans close, pushes against me, and basically distracts me. When I pay attention to him, I can then see that he’s responding to me and I take a deep breath and calm myself. The important part of this is that I take that breath and calm myself before I react in a way I’ll regret later. Or before it escalates. Because crowds are a problem for me, Bashir will also keep people back from me a little, simply by creating a barrier. He places himself between me and the people pushing too close.
Depending on the veteran’s needs, we can also have the dogs do other things to catch the owner’s attention. Some dogs put their head on their owners leg (when the owner is sitting) and push until they get a response. When a veteran is not able to cue himself to pay attention to subtle cues, we teach the dog to bark, whine, or paw. Because the dogs have to pay attention all the time, learn to read emotions and respond to those emotions, and then sometimes disobey the owner to provide help, it’s often difficult to find and train a dog to assist someone with PTSD.
I have recognized several of the behaviors that Buddy, Wally’s dog in “Funky Winkerbean,” is doing. In Sunday’s strip, Wally is having a nightmare — a flashback — about his wartime service and wakes in a panic. Buddy wakes up, climbs on to the bed with Wally, and snuggles close. The last frame in the strip shows dog and owner sound asleep. Good dog, Buddy!
It brought tears to my eyes reading it and again now, writing about it.
I have to put out a public thank-you to Tom Batiuk, too. I don’t know the man but if I ever get a chance to meet him I’d be happy to shake his hand. No, come to think of it, he’d get a huge hug.
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