This Able Veteran

11/11/2024

Thank you to John A. Logan #347 Carterville Post Commander, Al Yancey, for inviting This Able Veteran to speak during today's Veteran's Day Program in Carterville, Illinois. Our board president, Captain Jonathan Mitchell, and our founder Behesha Doan spoke to the crowd during this touching event. Service dog trainer, Andrea Hansen and service dog Gator did a presentation following the speeches.

We were honored to see so many veterans show their support of This Able Veteran.
Happy Veterans Day to all of the veterans!

10/11/2024

With gratitude for your service to America on Veterans Day -
and always.

04/11/2024

Thank you VICTOR Super Premium Pet Food for sharing our update on Star. She really is the sweetest service dog in training!

🐾 Star Update! 🐾

Star is progressing well through her training with as she’s preparing to be matched with a military veteran living with PTSD.

Here’s what her trainer has to say about her progress, “Star is so energetic! She loves to play and grab her leash and walk herself around the yard. She will definitely make one very fortunate veteran a happy camper.”

Way to go, Star!

01/11/2024

Nothing better than a fall hike in beautiful southern Illinois with one of our service-dogs-in-training - Butters!!

If you know a veteran who suffers from ptsd, please direct him to thisableveteran.org to apply to our program. It is 100% free to the veteran and is an amazing, life-changing program.

Please visit here: https://thisableveteran.org/online-application/

22/10/2024

We are thrilled that our partner, Victor Super VICTOR Super Premium Pet Food is doing a campaign to support our veterans and This Able Veteran. Learn how you can help veterans through their Veteran Pet Force here: www.victorpetfood.com/veteran-salute

The first 100 sign ups will get a free VPF t-shirt!

We are proud to support the important work of our partners Second Chance K9 and This Able Veteran, who are helping veterans living with PTSD.

Learn how you can join and help veterans through the Veteran Pet Force here: www.victorpetfood.com/veteran-salute

The first 100 sign ups will get a free VPF t-shirt! 🐾

02/10/2024

Our service dog, Star, got to meet Dan Povenmire, a talented animator who has worked with Sponge Bob, Pineas and Ferb, the Simpsons and many more.

Star was a little "star-struck" as she practiced her social skills in public.

25/09/2024

Exciting Updates from This Able Veteran - https://mailchi.mp/thisableveteran.org/learn-how-we-are-making-a-difference-12696191

23/09/2024

September is National Service Dog Month, a time marked to pay tribute to the animals who support Americans with special training to help with people dealing with vision impairment, medical issues, mental health, and many other areas.

This Able Veteran trains our service dogs for 12 to 18 months. We train our service dogs specifically for alleviating PTSD symptoms for veterans.

If you know a veteran suffering from PTSD and you think they would be a good candidate for our program, please have them apply online here: https://thisableveteran.jotform.com/213004256853147

05/09/2024

September is National Service Dog month. We are so glad Bond County Memorial VFW Post 1377 and Auxiliary is supporting This Able Veteran - thank you!!

September is National Service Dog Month!

Service dogs are important to many of our veterans and service members and also serve many of our Auxiliary members. Below are a few basic service dogs do’s and don’ts.

DO:
*Respect service dogs. They are highly trained, intelligent, professional animals taught to provide very specific services to the person they aide.
*Follow a service dog if she approaches you without her human handler. The person that dog is trained to serve may have fallen or be in distress, unable to call for help.

DON’T:
*Pet or distract a service dog while he’s working. Service dogs have an important job to do and distracting them could interfere with their ability to help their handler human.
*Assume a dog is NOT a service dog because of its breed. While people are most familiar with seeing Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds in service dog vests, dogs from Great Danes to Pomeranians are trainable as service dogs.

04/09/2024

Our Training Director and three of our service dog trainers are headed to Ft. Worth for the International Association of Canine Professionals conference. They will be learning EVEN MORE information and tips on how to effectively train service dogs for our veterans with PTSD.

Go team!
Pictured left to right: Elise, Behesha, Andrea, and Moriah

Here is an update from Elise on their Day One training:

Day one was packed with valuable insights from experts including:
- Marc Goldberg– Dog trainer and co-writer of multiple books, including “Let Dogs Be Dogs”, “The Art of Training Your Dog”, and “The Joy of Playing with Your Dog”
- Tom Davis – International dog trainer and founder of the Upstate Canine Academy, as well as the “No Bad Dogs” products
- Amy Leewood of KONG – Yes, that KONG, bringing expertise in canine enrichment and play
- Monique Udell – Animal behaviorist and Associate Professor of Animal Science at Oregon State University, with a focus on the dog-human connection
- Nelson Hodges– Founder of the Canine-Human Relationship Institute, specializing in the dynamics between dogs and their owners.

We’re beyond excited to learn from such incredible minds and can’t wait to bring this knowledge home to help our service dogs be the best they can be. Stay tuned!

27/08/2024

This Able Veteran's founder, Behesha Doan, gets birthday wishes from two veteran graduates, Jonathan Rothenberg and Josh MacDonald. The two veterans are fast friends and have formed a special bond since attending TAV's Trauma Resilience Program and receiving their service dogs.
Happy belated Birthday, Behesha!

dogs

27/08/2024

Nothing better than a dog day afternoon on a National Dog Day for service dogs helping veterans.

If you know a veteran who suffers from ptsd, please direct him to thisableveteran.org to apply to our program. It is 100% free to the veteran and is an amazing, life-changing program.

20/08/2024

This Able Veteran is blessed by VICTOR Super Premium Pet Food. Thank you! servicedogs

Honored to continue our support of the important work of (TAV), we’re so happy to introduce you all to Star!

Star is our most recent sponsored puppy who is going through TAV’s training in anticipation of being matched with a military veteran living with PTSD.

We look forward to sharing updates on Star’s training, please join us in cheering her on as she learns! 🐾

Learn more about our work with here: https://victorpetfood.com/veteran-support

20/08/2024

Thank you to the Herrin Tiger Football Alumni Association for their generous donation today! Organizations and people like you are who help us continue to serve veterans in need.

19/08/2024

Do you know a veteran coping with PTSD? If so, invite them to apply for a service dog through This Able Veteran. Our service dogs are specifically trained for PTSD and nightmare interruptions.

To apply for our Trauma Resiliency Program scheduled for early spring, complete the application found here: https://thisableveteran.org/for-veterans/

Before emailing, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. There you will find answers to many questions including how to apply, if your own dog can be trained and links to other resources.

15/08/2024

In honor of the 2024 Summer Olympics, our extraordinary service dogs in training have gone for gold!
Here’s This Able Veteran's Fur-lympics results!

13/08/2024

This Able Veteran has had several groups step up and give back to help our veterans with . Last Saturday, a group of bikers from PUNISHERS LEMC River Styx Chapter in Springfield drove to the facility to present several fundraising checks. The group also got a demonstration from Training Director, Behesha Doan and one of our service dogs, Aspen.

Monday night, board president Jonathan Mitchell spoke to the Carterville Post 347 American Legion headed by Commander Al Yancy. Service dog trainer Elise and service dog Butters were on hand to give a presentation.

This Able Veteran could not operate without the help of organizations like these. Thank you for your support!