VIDEO: According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 7 in every 100 veterans will have PTSD, which is why a Sierra Vista nonprofit is helping veterans and first responders with service dogs and companion dogs.
Leslie Bryant is a retired police officer. In 2021 she started Hero P.A.W.S as a way to give back to first responders and veterans. Through the nonprofit, Bryant trains dogs to meet the needs of their handlers. Companion dogs receive basic obedience training, while the service dogs will be trained to the specific needs of the handler. “Dogs will take care of us in ways that our human partners or our human friends cannot because they don't care what happened yesterday. They don't care what's going to happen tomorrow,” she said. Michael Lomuscio, a veteran with PTSD, got his service dog Wall-E from Bryant three weeks ago.