How a service dog is helping this New Jersey Air Force veteran with PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is often described as an invisible wound that can strike anyone who's confronted with a traumatic event. Doctors said there are a variety of treatments, including service dogs.
Adam Saltzman and his dog, Cooper, who live in Trenton, New Jersey, have a special connection. The 4-year-old yellow lab is a specially trained service dog.
For Saltzman, being calm can be a challenge.
"I was deployed, I was actually in Kuwait," Saltzman said.
Saltzman said that after 12 years in the Air Force, in 2018, he was diagnosed with PTSD.
"I was decimated, I had very little hope," he said. "Things had gotten so bad."
After years of treatment, which included being hospitalized, he was finally paired with Cooper through the K9s For Warriors program, which provides veterans with a service dog to help them cope with mental health issues.
Saltzman said Cooper provides a constant sense of security and helps de-escalate panic attacks linked to his PTSD.
"It seems as though she's focusing on my breath, meaning that if she sees me starting to escalate her response to me generally is coming to me, pet me, I see you're not doing well, just let's calm down together," Saltzman said.
By focusing on the dog, Saltzman's anxiety goes down. Doctors said coping with PTSD is understanding and avoiding triggers, and learning routines to regain control and a sense of calm.
Saltzman and Cooper have a number of routines they go through.
"The impact that she's had on my life, it's unmeasurable, really," Saltzman said. "In just about every aspect."
Saltzman said Cooper has helped him become a better husband and father and reclaim his life and his family.
K9s For Warriors has paired more than 1,000 veterans with service dogs. It has also rescued more than 2,000 dogs, with some of them going to first responders.