Soldier On Service Dogs 4.52

Soldier On Service Dogs (SOSD) was founded by Angie Pratt in September 2014 after a close relative, a Marine bomb technician, was injured in Afghanistan and began experiencing the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). After researching treatments she realized a service dog would be of great benefit but no such organizations were to be found in this area. Thus began Soldier On Service Dogs, the only organization of its kind in the state of Arkansas.

Twenty percent of Iraqi and Afghanistan war veterans have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Estimates for Northwest Arkansas put the number of PTSD/TBI Veterans at about 14,000. Of those, 840 (6%) would benefit from a service dog. PTSD/TBI service dogs do amazing things for their veterans. They detect seizures, disrupt nightmares, call 911, reduce need for medication, mitigate anxiety, reduce stress and save families and veterans’ lives.

SOSD puts its dogs through a two-year training process. First, the company acquires a puppy between six and eight weeks old. The puppy is then sent to live with a foster family (see Puppy Raisers for more information), where it is disciplined and learns to adapt to a family environment. After about a year, the dog is brought in for advanced work with the company's trainers for four to six months. When the dog reaches 18 months old, it is paired with a veteran for further training.

Each veteran applicant is required to be in counseling and have obtained a letter from that counselor stating they would benefit from a service dog and would be able to take care of it. Soldier On Service Dogs also requires the veterans take classes with them to find a dog that suits them and learn to handle their dogs. These classes continue as long as necessary before the veteran is allowed to take their service dog home. The entire training and raising process costs about $25,000 per dog/veteran duo.