Having a four-legged friend can mean the difference between life and death for some veterans, and a program in Hernando County is also teaching vets, who may suffer from PTSD, the benefits of have a pup around. 

Founder, Mary Peter, is training vets and their dogs at K9 Partners for Patriots everyday life situations, something Jeff Snyder said he makes the hour drive for every week

“I found myself getting angry at little things and getting upset at things that really didn’t matter to the point where it was affecting my marriage and affecting my life in general,” he told Spectrum Bay News 9’s Katya Guillaume.  

Snyder added that his dog ‘Echo" and this program saved not only his marriage but also his life

“This program is the very few that allows you to bring in your own dog to be evaluated,” Snyder said.

Peter explained, “If the dog is already waking them up from nightmares, stopping flashbacks, helping them with the ptsd issues or issues that they’re currently dealing with due to their service we will temperament test that dog.” 

The free six-month program for qualified vets takes them through their daily routine like grocery shopping, going to the doctor, and even eating at a restaurant

“Right now most of them are really just in their house and they don’t know how to be able to have that social experience that they use to have in the past, having a dog trained to do all that is really helpful…We just took a group last week on Wednesday on their first time out, and many of them had not been out and the anxiety is really high, the fear is high, the noises everything,” Snyder said.

The goal is to have vets feel like themselves again, and why not have a furry friend along for the better ride as well?

If veterans do not have their own dog, trainers rescue dogs that they think would qualify for the very important job.