Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Murray, Founder & CEO The Rescue For PTSD.
Laura Murray, Founder & CEO, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The Rescue for PTSD is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to adopt and train shelter/rescue dogs to be psychiatric service dog partners for military veterans living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We provide this service free of charge for the Veterans to aid in the restoration of their emotional and physical independence. The Rescue for PTSD was founded August 2017 by me and my husband Aric, and four friends who had a passion for saving dogs from euthanasia and shelter life, while simultaneously helping military Veterans that have come back from deployment with a variety of challenges. The Organization bridges two critical needs: giving rescue dogs a lifelong purpose while helping Veterans navigate post-enlistment trauma. We built the foundation while working full-time jobs, operating on the philosophy that saving even one dog and one Veteran at a time made the effort worthwhile. We could not have predicted the massive demand—and impact—that would follow.
We started by adopting and training one rescue dog for a Vietnam Veteran, which has expanded to training and pairing 19 fully trained dogs with their Veterans to date, all at no cost to the Veterans. Due to the large number of Veterans that were on our waiting list to receive a fully trained service dog, we additionally developed a monthly group training program in 2019. Group Program Veterans are able to particiapte with their personal dogs, if they do not have a dog, our team works with local rescues to help adopt a suitable canine partner for them. The Group Training Program has grown from 3 teams initially to its current capacity of 12 teams participating, with 39 Canine-Veteran service teams having graduated the Group Program since inception. The Rescue for PTSD also has at least one dog in full training at any given time for the growing number of Veterans on our waiting list needing a fully trained service dog, but who are not able to attend the Group Program classes. The Organization continues to receive requests from Veterans wanting to join their Group Training Program or join the waiting list for a fully trained service dog. On average, over the past 5 years, we have helped 28 military Veterans and their canine partners per year through both of our programs. This includes Group Program graduates, Veterans who received fully trained service dogs, and the Veterans and dogs currently in training, working to become a service team.
The Rescue for PTSD keeps track of our dogs for life, with required yearly check-ins to ensure continutity of care and ongoing quality of service skill training. The greatest accomplishments are how our dogs positively impact the lives of their Veterans. After receiving their service dog, Veterans have reported Doctor recognition of significantly lower blood pressure, reduction of night terrors, less need for sleeping medication, low blood sugar, seizure and increased heart rate alerts, and substantially increased mobility for harness-trained dogs, to name a few. Additionally, Veterans note they are more confident and comfortable going in public for both routine errands as well as being able to attend family events.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our commitment to our canine-veteran teams does not end at graduation; it lasts for the life of the dog. Through mandatory yearly, in-person check-ins, we evaluate the dog’s health, sharpen its service skills, and introduce new task training tailored to the Veteran’s evolving needs. True to our mission, The Rescue for PTSD ensures these life-saving animals place zero financial burden on those who served, covering all lifelong preventative medications for our dogs. However, sustaining this model is an uphill battle. Securing continuous financial support remains our steepest hurdle, with 58 active or graduated teams plus another 13 dogs currently in training,
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are proud that the Rescue for PTSD has a diverse group of Board members and volunteers. Backgrounds vary from corporate, small-business, canine training and military. Despite the varied origins, we are all aligned on a common purpose: giving back to those who sacrificed everything for our freedom. Veterans serve as Advisors to the Board of Directors and as our President. This is incredibly helpful as the guilding team has so much lived military experience. We don’t guess what our Veterans need; we listen to the peer insights of those who have walked in their shoes.
While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains our primary focus and area of expertise, we also possess the specialized skills to address a broad spectrum of complex medical needs thanks to our exceptional Director of Training. We do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, every Veteran’s trauma or physical limitations are different, and their training adapts to match. We ensure that no matter how complex Veteran’s challenges are, we can train a canine partner to mitigate them. Training can include custom skills to address:
PTSD Support: Alerting to and calming for anxiety attacks, creating physical boundaries in public, waking handlers from night terrors, retrieving medical kits
Mobility & Stability: Assisting with balance, retrieving dropped items, helping handlers stand
Medical Alert: alerting to diabetic emergencies or seizures before they happen.
The Rescue for PTSD has chosen a different path than most nonprofits, we are smaller by design. This intentional structure allows us to know every Veteran who walks through our doors. We know their spouses, their children, and their individual stories. This personal involvement creates a feeling of family within a safespace where healing can begin. Our volunteer staff interact closely with our Veterans throughout the entire training process, ensuring they never feel isolated or overwhelmed.
The Rescue for PTSD Board, and our Veterans, feel it is very important to continue to give back to our communities, beyond training and pairing our service dogs. Our CEO, Director of Training, one Veteran Advisor and two of our graduated Veteran-Canine teams are certified with Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) as therapy teams. Our President is also in the midst of becoming a certified therapy team with his service dog. The teams visit schools, community events, hospitals and senior memory care facilities to spread joy and comfort.
The Resuce for PTSD features several differences that set us apart from other service dogs organizations:
1. Rescue Sourcing
Unlike traditional organizations that rely on breeding programs, we do not breed dogs. Instead, we rely on local shelters and rescue organizations to find future service dogs in training. We “rescue a dog to rescue a Veteran”: a dog that was once abandoned is given a purpose, and in turn saves the life of a Veteran suffering with PTSD.
2. Personal dog training
Another differentiator is our Group Program, which works with a Veteran’s existing personal dog. If a Veteran already has a suitable pet, we help them train their own dog to be their service animal.
3. The Rescue trainers invest immense energy and time into the matchmaking process. A Veteran is not just paired with the next available dog, the dog’s natural temperament is evaluated against the Veteran’s specific personality, lifestyle, physical and medical needs to guarantee lifelong compatibility. We remain personally involved for the entire life of the dog.
4. Everything is 100% free for the Veteran. One mission focus is to have zero financial burden for the Veteran receiving their service dog. The Rescue for PTSD’s financial commitment doesn’t stop when a dog is placed. We maintain a lifelong relationship with every pair via yearly, in-person wellness check-ins and provide preventative medications for the dogs.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
The Rescue for PTSD’s joy is found in two milestone moments: when a rescue dog enters the program, and the day a dog is placed in the arms of its Veteran. Bringing a new dog into the program—whether saving a stray from the streets or adopting one from a crowded rescue—is a very emotional time. Every dog arrives with a unique history, and earning a traumatized dog’s trust requires immense patience, but nothing compares to the moment they realize they are safe and have a forever home.
The Organization spends months of meticulous work into matchmaking, pairing a dog’s natural personality and training aptitude with a Veteran’s specific needs. Witnessing that first moment of connection between a Veteran and their new service dog makes the 9-to-14 months of training worth doing all over again. Transitioning the service dogs to their Veterans is never easy for our trainers/fosters who have lived with and loved these animals sometimes for over a year. The “farewell” is offset by numerous positives: we will see them at their yearly check-ins, there is always another dog to rescue, and another Veteran to save.
Pricing:
- n/a We offer our services at no charge to our Veterans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rescueforptsd.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therescue4ptsd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therescue4ptsd/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/65401217/admin/dashboard/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rescueforptsd8588
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@therescueforptsd
