To Be of Service

As someone who works with service dog organizations, it is a great reminder that service dogs can truly change lives and make a difference for those who need it most. I'm proud to support US Veterans.

A very important film. This is most honest depiction of the impact of war on veterans with PTSD that I have ever seen. But it's also one of the most uplifting, because the service dogs that help the vets come back to their lives are miraculous. They make the audience feel as healed as the vets.

Although I'm not a regular watcher of documentaries, I do have friends and family who are combat veterans. I've observed them, listened to their stories, hugged them and cried with them and experienced a fuller understanding of how they literally put their lives on the line. And our military services are all volunteer. Then they come home from war, and our government says, "Thanks for that. Good luck." And we and they know better. PTSD is not a new thing. The healing power of the relationship between dogs--who love unconditionally and heal through that love--and our veterans is amazing, emotional, and critical. We send them to war and they come back broken; dogs can and do assist them in becoming "Un-broken." As Hemingway said, "The broken parts are where the light gets in." Service dogs are the glue that puts them back together so that light can shine within. I have some issues artistically and editorial with some aspects of the documentary, but the overriding trope of how important these dog/veteran relationships are is clearly delineated. I spent large portions of the documentary with my mouth open wondering, "WHY?" Why isn't this a covered benefit by the VA?? Regardless, watch the film, step up your compassion and appreciation for our warriors. I did.

I found this difficult to watch, but powerful and subtle. I hope it gets more resources to those who would benefit.

1 - the country to be of service to its citizens 2 - the enlisted to be of service to his/her country 3 - the dog to be of service to the veteran The title is about all of these. The film does seem to specifically hope to gain supporters toward either causing the government to consider Service Dogs as a paid therapy (which it should be), or to assist with financial support of these programs.

Dogs are an incredible species. I believe the term "Man's best friend" is using the term "man" under its original meaning, which is an abbreviation of "human". They are human's best friend.

I enjoyed this film as it helped the audience to understand the need for the specialized animal via the personal stories. I've owned dogs myself and they are the definition of trusting, loyal, and committed.

On a side note, as a family of military and other service personnel, it greatly offends me to see the trend of family pets allowed into places that specifically state "service animals only" because service animals are highly trained and meticulously cared for (usually) and warrant the possibility of dealing with any viruses, fleas, or feces debris an animal might have (which many typical pets do). Bringing an untrained animal into any public space that doesn't allow animals is disrespectful to the specialized field as well as to other patrons. It also creates an unsafe atmosphere for those with authentic service animals. An "emotional support" animal is not a service animal. While some exceptions are made on airlines for "support" animals, the official definition of Service Animal by the US Dept of Justice is: Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Although there seems to be mixed reviews by actual military vets on this film, I believe it is a great doorway into an often misunderstood field and hope it gets the attention it deserves.