MILWAUKEE— Life after active duty for veterans and their families can be a struggle. However, baseball coach Tony La Russa and the non-profit group PenFedFoundation are actively working with veteran and active-duty families to pair them with rescued animals from shelters.
Tony La Russa talked with WTMJ’s Libby Collins on Wisconsin’s Weekend Morning News about how he has seen what a rescued animal can provide for a veteran family.
“The rescued dogs or cats, are actually having an ability to rescue people with different issues,” said La Russa. “Prime example are veterans. They go through all these issues when they come home from active-duty and they have trouble getting away from or acclimating with the world. We’ve learned that something as simple as matching them with the unconditional love of a dog changes their life. The quality of life improves immensely.”
PenFedFoundation’s president, former White House correspondent Andrea McCarren, says that she has seen the benefits of how service dogs especially provide disabled veterans the supportive care that they need, including those suffering from PTSD.
“So if a veteran is having night-terrors and thrashing about in bed, the dog is trained to pull down their comforter, turn on the light, jump in bed with the veteran, and lie on top of them until they feel safe,” said McCarren. “This is a skill you could train any dog, but it just takes time, patience, and it takes positive reinforcement.”
In recent weeks, PenFedFoundation partnered with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue to pay pet adoption fees for military families and support pets impacted by recent flooding in North Carolina.
