Jason Haack has been in the Army for 15 years.

He’s done two tours of duty in Iraq and is currently transitioning out of the army because he’s being medically retired.

“My first rotation was 22 months long. We were on an escort mission,” Haack said. “The vehicle in front of us was blown up. The concussion blew me out of my truck and I landed on the ground. I wasn’t medivaced because I didn’t want to go home.”

Haack’s injuries have left him with bulging and ruptured discs in his back. He’s undergone two back surgeries and he’s hoping to have his right shoulder replaced because of the arthritis that has settled into the joint since his injury.

His worst injury, though, isn’t visible.

Haack suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which was diagnosed after his first tour of duty.

“When I got home from the first tour they changed me from infantry to human resources,” he said. “My last tour was supposed to be a protection detail for a three-star general, but my team’s mission fell through when the general was sent home.”

PTSD was already taking its toll during Haack’s second tour. He did high risk escorts but mostly sat at his desk and did special projects.

“I still saw stuff,” he said. “I would see the bodies come in. But I just didn’t feel the threat any more. I could stand in downtown Bagdhad and feel perfectly safe. I wouldn’t even load my weapon. I had weapons and I had ammo on me, I just didn’t put the two together.”

Adjusting

Haack has had difficulty beginning his adjustment to civilian life. He has walked out of grocery stores because he can’t handle crowds. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was thrown from the vehicle and has difficulty remembering things.  He has a hard time driving, has nightmares and suffers from panic attacks.

“I have flashbacks,” he said. “People notice that my eyes lock in one spot for 10 minutes and I don’t blink.”

A service dog program at Joint Base Lewis McChord proved to be an invaluable resource to Haack.  The dogs were being trained to help disabled soldiers returning from combat.

“I still didn’t want to talk to people. I just did what I had to do and that was it,” Haack said. “But I met the Lieutenant Colonel that ran the service dog program, and he too was a warrior in transition. He and I would talk.”

Haack eventually helped run the service dog program and was interested in having a service dog himself. But demand was becoming bigger than their supply of dogs. Haack began looking around for programs and found Summit Assistance Dogs in Anacortes.

New Hope

Summit, founded in 2000 by Sue Meinzinger, had just begun accepting applications for service dogs from veterans suffering with PTSD. Haack applied, and is the first veteran chosen to receive a service dog from Summit.

“Jason has been part of the service dog program at JBLM, so he’s pretty familiar with what’s involved with having a dog,” Meinzinger said. “We felt he was a good candidate because of his prior experience.”

While Summit will be placing both therapy and service dogs with veterans, its primary focus is on service dogs, which are trained to follow commands, pick up on specific cues from their handler and perform duties that are helpful for veterans suffering from PTSD.

“We teach them a command called ‘Watch my Back,’ where the dog positions himself behind his handler,” explained Meinzinger. “If the handler is in a crowded environment, the dog can be cued to nudge them on the leg so the handler can use the dog as a reason to excuse himself. It provides an easier way to get out of a social situations.”

The dogs can also often pick up on changes in their handler’s body chemistry, which could signal the onset of an  anxiety attack.

PTSD service dogs can also be taught to search a room or search a home and alert their handler if there is someone else there. All these skills are something Haack said would be very useful to him.

“I expect my dog to be able to do a 360 around me and keep a buffer,” he said. “If I have a deja vu moment – that’s what I call them –  we can train the dog to do something like tap me or nudge me and bring me back.”

Haack said he is thrilled to be chosen to receive Summit’s first PTSD service dog. He said the process has been easy.

“Working with Sue has been easy and she makes it so you want to accept her help,” he said. “Because it’s hard to say this is why I need a  dog.”

“We just see an increasing need for this type of service dog now because so many are coming back with PTSD,” Meinzinger said. “Because service dogs are shown to make a positive difference, there’s a high demand.”

Training

If a service dog enters the Summit training program as a puppy, training takes approximately two years. Older dogs entering the program can be trained in approximately six to eight months. An average service dog learns about 30 typical cues.

“Beyond that they’ll be taught 10 or 12 more things that are customized to the type of placement they’re making,” Meinzinger said.

One of the biggest challenges Meinzinger foresees as more agencies begin training service dogs for PTSD is a solid screening program. Currently there is no national standard.

“Many veterans are coming back and selecting dogs on their own from shelters or maybe from a group that may not be training the dogs properly,” she said. “All programs placing service dogs really need to look at their screening process and they should be providing the proper type of dogs for this work. I see a lot of inappropriate animals being used.”

One requirement of the Summit program is that veteran applicants are getting proper treatment for their PTSD, not just using the service dog as a cure-all for their condition.

“What we’re really for in screening is making sure someone has adequate support in place, between their health care providers, friends and family,” Meinzinger said. “We’re really concerned about stability and whether they have a good support system.”

Meinzinger said Summit is currently limiting applications to veterans who plan to be in Washington State for a few years after they receive a dog in order to provide adequate follow up support. Applications from veterans with hearing and mobility issues are also always accepted.

There is no charge to get a dog from Summit, other than a $25 application fee. As far as when Haack will receive his service dog, there is no set date. They currently have 24 dogs in various stages of training and will probably place eight to nine new dogs this year.

“It’s really a matter of what dogs do as they develop and we see where their talents lie,” Meinzinger said. “Then we look at all our applicants and try to make a match. But I expect Jason will have a dog in about 12 months.”

He can hardly wait.

“The dog is someone that can be there for me, listen to me,” Haack said. “Dogs don’t care what happened.

“They’re like our courage, our battle buddy on four legs,” he continued. “We watch out for them and they watch out for us.”

Learn More:

Any veterans organization interested in learning more about Summit Assistance Dogs and its veterans program can contact Summit founder Sue Meinzinger and arrange for a presentation. Call
360-293-5609 or go to
www.summitdogs.org for information.