By Trent Rosser

A proven way to help veterans with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a service animal. Unfortunately, the training of a service dog is quite expensive. They can cost anywhere from $10,000 and up to $70,000 dollars. Fortunately, Brooke Schneider is helping with a solution to the problem. Brooke founded “Hope Lives Here”. The non-profit organization trains service dogs for veterans across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle and parts of New Mexico. Hope Lives Here trains the dogs free of charge for the veterans. Thus it is saving more than money, it is saving lives; not only the life of a veteran suffering from PTSD, but the life of an unwanted dog as well.

“Most of the veterans that come to us, do not have a dog. We pair them with a dog from the local shelter. We do what we call ‘Dog Selection Day’ where we have pre-selected 3 or 4 dogs based on their needs and their lifestyles and of course their disabilities. We introduce the dogs to them one at a time and they choose their dog that day, and they go home with them that day. We start the training within 24 to 48 hours,” Brooke stated.

Hope Lives Here has worked with Panhandle Paws of Hope, a rescue here in Amarillo. “We have been very lucky each time we worked with them,” Brooke said. “Someone on their donor list has come in and paid the fees for the dogs. We used to go directly to the local shelter or humane society, but one of the problems was what if it didn’t work out? We did not want to send the dog back to the shelter so what would we do? That is where Panhandle Paws of Hope stepped in. They will actually foster the dogs and crate train them, and potty train them and hang out with them for about 6 weeks to a couple of months and they will let us know if they have a dog that they believe would be a good candidate for the training. If for some reason it doesn't work out, the dog will go back into foster care with them. So we have a ‘Safety plan’ for the dogs.”

Brooke was diagnosed with PTSD back in 2003, shortly after, she received a dog named Harley. Brooke told me “Harley rescued me. He brought me out a very dark place. And for years I wanted to use our story to help others, but I really didn’t know how to do that. Harley died unexpectedly in 2011. After that, I started doing research on how to start a non profit and who to work with.” After researching and training, Brooke established Hope Lives Here in 2014

Normally it takes 9 to 12 months to fully train a dog with this program. It is not a small 6 to 8 week class. There is quite a bit of one on one with the dog, the veteran, and the trainer. So far, there have been over 30 graduates of this program, and as of this past October, there are around 50 veterans on a waiting list to be a part of this program.

“Throughout the process of seeing people open up, become a part of a family and just being able to communicate with them and trusting us. Because when they (Veterans) first come to us, they are very ‘Broken’, if you will? Kinda shut down and for some people, this is their last resort. They tried everything else, but there are not enough resources for our veterans. They come to us, they don’t look us in the eye, they don’t really talk a lot and in 6 to 8 weeks, they start to open up. You can start to see a change and see that they are becoming the person that they used to be.” Brooke said. “Watching the animals change is just as rewarding as well. They were unwanted dogs and now they are doing a very important job. To see the happiness, confidence, and the bond. They rely on each other so much. To see a dog that was going to be euthanized, now is a great dog and has a great life. It is a win/win situation.”

They also keep up with the veterans and dogs after they graduate. They have a yearly evaluation with the dogs as well.

When asked where she would like to see the program 5 years, she said, “I would like to see it have a full staff. We don’t even have a secretary right now. It is just me and Cheyanne, the other dog trainer.” According to Brooke, “A full staff would be an office manager, at least 5 dog trainers, and we would want a mental health person on site. We would want to do more for the veteran than just train their dogs. Workshops that teach the veteran about their disabilities and how to handle it and deescalation techniques. More resources for the veterans. We want enough staff where they can come and hang out or if they have questions or if they do just show up and do have an emergency and need something right then, someone is able to help them.”

Hope Lives Here is located at 429 S Western street. They are in need of donations to help with the veterans and their services. Anything from office supplies to cabinets for their facility as well as dog crates and of course monetary donation will always help. Especially since they purchase special leashes for the dogs while training them for their veteran. For more information, go to http://hlhtexas.org or call (806) 418-2458 If you or someone you know is an animal lover, or a supporter of our veterans, please help out if you can. Also if you know a veteran that is suffering from PTSD and contiplating suicide, please call the veteran crisis line at 1-800-273-8255.