Dogs of Service

[Zac Fox] Kernel is a very old soul. 75% Golden Retriever, 25% English Lab. Even as when he was a puppy was always interested in kind of taking everything in. He's definitely a lot smarter than he looks.

I don't know, I always say that PTSD is realizing that you'll never be that cool ever again in the eyes of your peers because when you do go overseas there is that feeling of you are in control. I would not wish combat on anyone, but it is definitely an awe-inspiring experience. But coming back from that and realizing what happened and how close things were, that's what really makes you think maybe I need to choose a different line of work. And that's why I have that patch on there, not all disabilities are visible. So, I may look fine. I wish I was fine. I wish that I didn't have to have Kernel. But I do. And I can't imagine life without him.

[Narrator] Dogs are incredible creatures. They are one of the few animals to respond to our emotions, follow the human point and gesture, and instinctively care for their handler. But whereas all dogs can provide emotional support, only the most skilled can ever truly become service dogs. Not all puppies that find themselves on this path make it to the end. But those that do earn the distinction of being Dogs of Service. This is their journey.

Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

[Narrator] The training of a service dog starts with a puppy. Bred across the country, many of these pups are picked up and flown to their future trainers.

[Off-screen Female Voice] You need to take them right out to potty.

[Narrator] If they are destined for Iowa and arrive in January, that can come with a bit of a shock.

(puppy whining)

[Off-screen Female Voice] Aww, she wants carried.

[Narrator] Four times per year, a batch of puppies find their way to Central Iowa's Puppy Jake Foundation.

[Puppy Transporter] Hi, Derby! Hi sweetheart. Look at how cute she is.

[Narrator] Puppy Jake is one of many non-profit trainers who specialize in training service dogs exclusively for disabled veterans.

[Puppy Transporter] Here you go, I took her out at the airport.

[Puppy Foster] Oh, what do you think there little one? Derby.

[Puppy Transporter] Derby.

[Puppy Foster] What do you think there sweetie? Oh, thank you.

[Lisa Russell] It takes two years and $25,000 and countless, countless hours from volunteers to train a dog.

[Off-screen Male Voice] What do you think there, little one?

[Tabetha Williams] Asking a dog to be a service dog, it's a big task because we are testing these dogs, watching these dogs and making sure they are really good fits for what we're asking them to do.

[Narrator] Service dogs are legally defined and protected under the 1990 ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act. It specifically defines service dogs as any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability. Whereas animals whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, companionship, therapeutic benefits or to promote emotional well-being are not service animals.

[Lisa Russell] The type of dogs that we do here at Puppy Jake are very specific to PTSD and mobility.

[Tabetha Williams] The dogs will have skills that are both something subconscious the handler does and something that the handler might actually ask them to do and they need to be ready to do it in that moment.

[Lisa Russell] How do they get to the side? How do they stay in heel? How do they protect the veteran's back? How will they help that veteran get up out of the chair? How will they wake a veteran up from the middle of nightmares? So, it really does take about the first eighteen months to train a puppy. And so, we spend a lot of time trying to make sure that by the time that we get these dogs to a veteran that they really are going to be able to work. And so, any veteran who has been discharged from the military with some sort of disability is eligible for a Puppy Jake dog.

[Narrator] Months before a veteran meets their dog, training begins. While a two-year program is common among service dog trainers, each organization sets their path.

[Handler] Good. There.

[Narrator] For Puppy Jake, that path has evolved into a five-phase plan that starts the moment a puppy arrives.

[Renee Moore] So, Phase 1 is puppies. It's all focused on confidence-building, socialization, giving them some life experiences and laying the foundation for obedience training. And then Phase 2, they go out to the prison. That's adolescence. We continue obedience training, but we're also just letting them grow up. Phase 3 they come out, they do their Canine Good Citizen, and then we begin our more strict public access training. And then they move to Phase 4. We get them in the hustle and bustle of a big city. And so that is kind of like the last tough test and can you handle the stressors of being a service dog? And they actually get paired and matched in Phase 4. That is when they meet their veteran. And then Phase 5, that is when they start working with their veteran. And that is where we are transferring all of the skills to the veteran and they really start forming and building that relationship. So, at the end of Phase 5 is when they officially graduate and they go home with the veteran.

[Narrator] Five phases and two years later, what was once a cute puppy graduates into a veteran-handled service dog. However, the important thing to note is not all dogs that enter the program make it all the way through.

[Lisa Russell] It's really hard. Dogs have personalities. Dogs are living, breathing beings. And there's not everyone is meant to be a service dog. And this is basically the top of the mountain. This is the most skilled dog that you're going to get.

[Puppy Foster] Thank you. Good luck!

[Lisa Russell] And the stories are very similar. Dogs have this deep understanding of what their veterans need. But the biggest thing is that this dog can go out in public and it can serve their person out in public without distraction.

(Race cars zooming around a racetrack.)

[Lisa Russell] We're at the IndyCar races.

(Race cars zooming around a racetrack.)

[Lisa Russell] So, one of the reasons that we bring dogs to the event is it gives us an opportunity to train them in an environment and what we call public access so that ultimately what we want our service dogs to be able to do is to go out with their veteran in an environment like this.

[Zac Fox] Kernel, between. You know, my time in service it's about, oh I'd say nine or ten years. I was Airborne Infantry, so I got to jump out of perfectly good airplanes and question my sanity now.

Multiple combat tours as an infantryman, as a machine gunner. Yeah, it is a job that a lot of people don't want to do. But I didn't want to go to school. I didn't want to go to school again. I just, I was bored with school. I wanted to see the world. I got to see the world in a different way, but I definitely got my wish. I just wish I would have narrowed down what I asked for a little bit more. Getting injured in Afghanistan and then coming back, watching my unit come home and then leaving and I'm still there getting "fixed", or I have the option to go home. And I chose to go home.

I was a recluse. I didn't go out. That was my saving grace there because I wasn't out drinking, I wasn't out causing trouble. I didn't want really anything to do with anything. And I didn't really realize that I had an issue until I met my wife and she was very understanding and was able to say hey, you might need to get some help.

[Lindsay Fox] So, I am currently a foster for Puppy Jake. I do foster training of some of the older dogs, Phase 4 and 5 dogs, and I am the wife to a veteran that has received a placed dog. My husband and I worked in rescue for about ten years. With rescue we fostered probably 75 dogs or so. But it can be really hard on you. So, we decided to take a break from rescue. That lasted about two weeks. It's really important to our family to give back to the community. So, we decided to start with the Puppy Jake Foundation and we started training dogs to be service dogs for our wounded warriors.

[Zac Fox] I said no puppies and within two days we had a puppy. And that puppy was Kernel. 

[Lindsay Fox] So, currently with the Puppy Jake Foundation, the longest you would really have a dog as a foster would be six to eight months. But when we got Kernel, it was the very beginning of the pandemic and things were wild. So, of course we didn't want to be passing dogs from house to house. So, we ended up keeping Kernel for the full two and a half years before he was placed.

[Zac Fox] We were still going to give him up. We were still going to make sure that he went to the right veteran. And it just so happened that during the training process my wife, my friends, my therapist, the VA counselors are like, what can you attribute your success to? You're improving. You're getting better. You're coming off of medications. You're happier. The common denominator was Kernel. And so, I applied and he, he's amazing.

I mean, it changes your life, it really does.

[Marc Champoux] Fostering. The commitment is you've got class once a week.

[Marc] Oh, good boy. Good boy.

[Marc Champoux] You know, if you get a puppy, it's a lot of work. There's just -- puppies are hard. We had no idea what we were getting into.

[Marc] Oh, good boy!

[Narrator] All service dog organizations rely heavily on dog fosters or puppy raisers. Some organizations ask their handlers to manage a dog in training for the entire two years. Puppy Jake normally asks its fosters to raise dogs for five months at a time and practice new skills as well as assess progress under the guidance of a dog trainer.

[Dog Trainer] Food in one hand. Other hand right out here. Every time the puppy touches that hand you move the treat from this hand into that hand and reward. Yes.

[Lisa Russell] We provide everything that you need. We provide the puppy, we provide the collar, the leash, the crates, the food. It is the time that we're asking most of all.

[Marc Champoux] They're always training, so we're always watching their behaviors and not letting them get out of control. But, you know, part of it is the more you foster and the more behaviors you understand what Puppy Jake is looking for.

[Narrator] Service dogs in training have almost the same rights as graduated service dogs meaning their training can be all day, every day.

[Jessie Rudin] I really take the dog with me everywhere. I go to work and I take the dog with me.

[Jessie] Come on!

[Jessie Rudin] I go to hockey and I take the dog with me.

[Jessie] That's a good boy. Come on, buddy.

[Jessie Rudin] I've flown with every single dog that I've had, probably five or six times at least. That gives them the confidence that they need when they go to their veterans that if they ever choose to fly that they have that ability as well.

[Narrator] Placing dogs in the care of fosters makes service dog training possible. Dozens of dogs are in training at the same time. And fostering allows trainers to track the progression of all of them from a distance. Of course, raising puppies is no easy task. But many fosters sign up because of the role these dogs will ultimately play.

[Marc Champoux] So, I served in the Navy for three years. But I didn't get to serve in the way I wanted to. Um so -- sorry. I got medically discharged. I wasn't going to cry.

So, this is my way of giving back, giving back to that community.

[Dog Trainer] Good job, buddy!

[Dayna Champoux] And that gives me goosebumps thinking about how important these dogs can be to a veteran. That's ultimately what it's all about, right?

[Narrator] The need for service dogs is national. In fact, Puppy Jake is one of the handful of organizations meeting the needs of disabled veterans in Central Iowa alone. Canine Companions, a national service dog trainer, placed the first service dog in 1976. Throughout its history, they have trained thousands of service dogs and worked directly with researchers and the federal government to identify and expand the potential of dogs as medical equipment. Up until 2019, insurance policies from the Department of Veterans Affairs only covered service dogs for veterans with physical disabilities.

[Service Dog Handler] Pull. Go, go.

[Jessica Reiss] So, prior to 2019 we participated in a study with the VA, the DOD, us and other organizations. And what they were really trying to do is prove the efficacy of having a service dog and the impact that that dog potentially had on PTSD, on mental health and on just veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. So, that then kind of led into the PAWS Act, which legitimizes using dogs as a tool for mental health and activities for daily living.

[Narrator] In 2021, the PAWS Act, or Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act, was signed into federal law requiring health insurance policies covered by the VA to provide coverage of animal costs, travel expenses and service dog hardware for veterans diagnosed with PTSD.

[Jessica Reiss] Yes, medication is important and therapy is important, but having a service dog can only aid in recovery, in getting back to daily living.

[Narrator] As a national operation, Canine Companions offers a glimpse at how many service dogs are needed. From its headquarters in Santa Rosa, California to its other five large training centers and over 50 volunteer chapters, it has placed an incredible number of dogs.

[Robin Liberty] So, we're actually coming up on our 50th anniversary and we have placed over 8,000 dogs in that time. In New York, we've placed about 50 to 75 dogs a year.

[Narrator] Robin is one of a team of full-time dog trainers at Canine Companion's New York Training Center. At 18-months-old, Canine Companion puppies leave their puppy raisers, spending their final months on-site sharpening specialized skills.

[Robin Liberty] So, here I'm training her to lie across my lap to provide deep pressure, which is very soothing.

[Robin] Cover.

[Robin Liberty] If I was having an anxiety attack or just needed some calming moments with my dog, she would stay there until I gave her the command to come off.

[Robin] Good girl.

[Narrator] The New York center not only has the facilities to house and train over 70 dogs, but also dorms where visiting veterans and their families stay to form a tight bond with their new service dog in the final weeks of training.

[Vincent Cherchione] It was a long discussion between me and my wife because I didn't feel that I was worthy of having a service dog. I look normal. I wasn't an amputee. So, I didn't think that I deserved a service dog. But after talking to the staff here at Canine Companions, I knew that I deserved the opportunity to have a service dog, especially with the physical pains and issues that I was having. So, this is actually my second dog. I'm a successor is what they call me. Taco was a special dog. Every single day that he was with me was perfect. I felt like nobody could replace Taco. But the way that I look at it is that I look at her continuing his legacy, continuing the legacy of Canine Companions and to be able to have a new opportunity to move forward with another dog.

[Brian Kirkman] Being stuck in an unfortunate, unpleasant situation, I get to spend my time with a dog. I'm actively responsible for a living creature.

[Renee Moore] All right, guys. So, when you reward where should your hand be touching when you reward the dog?

[Incarcerated Individual] Your thigh.

[Renee Moore] Your thigh. Yes, yes. Seam of your pants, right. I would say seam of your pants. Why? Because it pushes the dog back. Why? Because dogs tend to forge. But the furthest we want the dogs forward is their shoulders. Okay?

[Renee Moore] Phase 2 is when the dogs are adolescents. So, they're out of control, they're crazy, they push boundaries, they need structure. So, we thought that that was a perfect insert for where the prison program could benefit our program as well as then we can come out and help the individuals out here.

[Incarcerated Individual] Good girl.

[Narrator] For five months, most Puppy Jake dogs in training call the Newton Correctional Release Center home. They have learned the basics. In Phase 2, the skills training gets real.

[Renee Moore] We add in the more advanced obedience. So, we add in stays, meet and greets, we add in reactions to distractions, we add in reaction to other dogs. And every phase, 1 through 4, the dogs are switching sides. So, when they come out here, for the first time ever they are working on the left-hand side. So, by the time they get matched with a veteran, then regardless of the side the veteran needs them on, the dog is prepared.

(Device clicking.)

[Dog Trainer] Nice.

(Device clicking.)

[Dog Trainer] Good work.

[Narrator] Hundreds of dogs have gone through this program. Their handlers are carefully selected from inmates who apply and meet a specific criteria.

[Amy Montano] We look at their discipline. We look at their crimes of conviction, their behavior here. It allows our individuals here the ability to see themselves as someone else outside of the crime that they have committed and hopefully impact their lives in a way that prevents them from coming back to prison.

[Brian Kirkman] It's nice to be able to do something actually meaningful and helpful while you're in here because the opportunities to do so are exceptionally limited.

[Narrator] Once a dog arrives at the prison, they are placed in the care of a primary handler and they are together 24 hours a day for five months.

[Renee Moore] Their whole job is the dog. When you have the fosters in all the other phases, they have their family, they have their work, they have everything else going on in their life. For here, this is their job, that's what they do.

[Narrator] Outside of a one-week furlough for assessment, the dogs live in the prison. Five months of isolation and focused training to see if these puppies have what it takes to be a service dog.

[Renee Moore] There are some dogs who they do not like this work. They're not the right fit. And we're not going to make a dog do something that they don't want to do. We have dogs come out here and they're too overwhelmed by all the people and all the commotion and stuff going on all the time. And if a dog can't handle that, they're not going to be able to handle being a service dog in public. So, it also is a good way for us to really see what the dogs are capable of, how they can transition.

[Brian Kirkman] It is a hard balance to walk knowing that you have to have these animals connect with you. They have to trust you. But you have to know that you're going to have to give them away. And it is more important honestly to me that these dogs are A, going to go have successful, happy lives and be good at what they do, but they're going to go help somebody who honestly deserves it and needs it. I'm definitely here for a reason. But this helps give purpose. This helps start to repay what I've done.

(Semi truck driving down a road.)

[Mark Bruns] I had a total of 16 years. Had two deployments, one in Desert Storm and one in Iraq. And I was a heavy construction equipment operator, bulldozers, end loaders, things like that. And I was also a truck driver.

[Narrator] Puppy Jake has matched service dogs with dozens of veterans, each with their own story and specific needs.

[Matt Hodges] Jax. Come here, Jax. Oh, good boy.

I was in the service for seven years. I was in the Guard. And our unit was deployed to go to Iraq as a firefighter. I was with the 767 Engineer Unit. So, you just had to be on higher alert all the time. And that's what I really couldn't turn off coming back. They're like oh, you're back, now you can chill out. And well, I guess I never really quite figured out how to chill out so much.

[Mark Bruns] I left after I got back from Iraq because I just didn't think I was going to survive another one. I mean, once you've driven in that situation it just makes you nervous. You see a box sitting alongside the road. Over there it could have been an IED. And here you know it's not, your mind knows it's not, but your instincts tell you that it could be.

[Scott Krome] It's a culture shock to go from active duty to the civilian world. The structure is gone. And for a lot of service members, I think that is what drives them crazy.

[Narrator] According to the VA, seven out of every 100 veterans has PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. And anyone can develop PTSD at any age, civilian or service member. With no single cause for the disorder, a common precursor is surviving an intense or long-lasting traumatic event.

[Matt Hodges] At one point years ago before I found Puppy Jake, I was home-ridden and I'd have dad or somebody help me out with groceries or certain things.

[Mark Bruns] I got her seven years ago. I was driving a truck and I was having a lot of problems with, I don't know, things just bothering me, road rage and things like that. And so I got Lou. And she helps tremendously with that. My life was chaos before that. I had a lot of issues. I would get really, really angry when people would do stupid things around me in their vehicles. And I got to the point where I couldn't drive anymore.

[Scott Krome] I didn't leave the house a lot. I used to drink pretty heavy. Drinking was my thing to cope, I guess, lots of alcohol. I haven't had a drink since July 5th of 2020.

[Kirby Krome] And that, unfortunately -- Scott had a failed suicide attempt in 2020. And that's when things really kind of took that drastic turn and those PTSD triggers started coming out and being more prevalent and really impacted his life. He lost his job prior to 2020 and he just I think fell into this what's my purpose? What am I here for? I don't have anything anymore. And I think in a sense Koko kind of gives him that sense of purpose and drive back. Koko has really brought back Scott's independence.

[Narrator] Treatments for PTSD commonly include medication and therapy. But, as the research supporting the PAWS Act has shown and continues to show, service dogs can play a great role in reducing anxiety and giving those afflicted with the disorder an actively calming presence.

[Kirby Krome] Koko is an extension of Scott. I've seen so many changes in him since coming home that he's able to attend school events, he's able to go out in public, he's able to go do things during the day without me.

[Scott Krome] She definitely knows when she has the vest on that she's working. It's a game to her and she enjoys the game. So, she'll go to your side and she'll sit and she'll go down. And watching her, I never knew a dog was that smart. I don't know --

[Kirby Krome] I'd sum it up, she's the best good girl.

[Scott Krome] She's the best good girl.

(laughter)

[Mark Bruns] My dog is not specifically trained for PTSD or anything like that. I have a back injury so it's hard for me to pick things up. And if I drop something on the floor, she picks it up for me and hands it to me.

(Semi truck engine running.)

[Mark Bruns] But yet, she knows when I'm starting to get that road rage and she hears me start cussing and carrying on and getting loud and she just sits up and puts her head on my lap and I just pet her and then it just kind of goes away. I really don't think I could do it every day without her. Literally she's a lifesaver because I've been down. I've been depressed, very depressed. And she helps me through it.

[Foster] Watch what we're doing. Good girl.

[Dog Trainer] For the Phase 3 dogs that are here, we've got our public access test coming up. We've got some children in the building. Let's see if we can get some hellos and meet and greets.

[Jennifer Hirakawa] So, tonight our phase focus was Phase 3. It is the dogs that they are getting ready to finish and they are working on public access.

[Foster] Good job, buddy.

[Lisa Russell] So, Phase 3 will be the first time that we will actually test dogs. And they are preparing to pass and become certified canine good citizens. And this is an internationally recognized program that basically says your dog can be out in public and knows all the things to be a good dog. And being in public at this age means you can actually have a therapy dog. So, most places that have people come in with therapy dogs require that they are CGC certified.

[Narrator] There is no government standard or license required to be a service dog. Vests, capes and IDs are not required either to identify as a service dog. In fact, the ADA law specifically states service dogs do not need to go through a professional training program. However, the dog training community has established benchmarks, testing and accreditations to make sure the dogs that go through training can be depended on by handlers and require their animals for specific tasks.

[Jennifer Hirakawa] So, everything today was about being around the public, moving through distractions, seeing something on the floor that looks really good and yummy to eat without eating it, so that their handler can focus on their independence and not worrying about what their dog is doing.

[Narrator] Puppy Jake may only place service dogs with veterans, but there is an equally great need from disabled people who didn't serve in the military.

[Bridget Eischeid] Rudy is my hearing alert service dog. So, I actually have what is called reverse slope hearing loss. It's where I hear high pitches really well, but low tones like men's voices or something are more difficult for me to hear. He will use his nose to nudge me and let me know that that sound is happening. And there's certain sounds, like my first name, that I can even say show me and he would go to the person that is saying the name. He definitely is my best friend. He's my soul dog. I've loved every dog that has ever been in my life, but Rudy is just very, very special.

[Eileen Benthal] Are you ready to do a lap? He loves a lap, Johanna, right? Good. Lap. We're working on it, right?

[Johanna Benthal] That's right.

[Eileen] Yeah. Johanna is a person with multiple disabilities and a rare disease as well. You got your first service dog in 2004, right?

[Johanna] Mm-mm. Taffy.

[Eileen] So, Johanna had Taffy as her first service dog and then when it was time to retire Taffy, we applied for another service dog for Johanna. And then you were matched with who?

[Johanna] Ray.

[Eileen] Ray actually had the unique ability to detect seizures in Johanna. That is not an official task that Canine Companions provides. But it can be something that they sometimes instinctively learn. She kept leaving Johanna and coming to us and they didn't understand what was happening until Johanna woke up in a grand mal seizure.

[Johanna] She kept on like --

[Eileen] Yep, she would come right there, right -- he thinks you're calling him up there, right? Hi, Mayer. Come on.

[Narrator] Johanna and her family have been a part of the New York Canine Companions community for more than two decades, both living with matched service dogs and training puppies like Mayer. Meanwhile, Rudy has been with Bridget for five years. While he is now a fixture of her classroom and the track sidelines where she coaches javelin, Rudy almost fell into Bridget's life by accident.

[Bridget Eischeid] So, actually I was just scrolling through social media and something popped up about a hearing alert service dog. And I literally was like, what? That's a thing? And then I came across Deafinitely Dogs on the Internet and I contacted them. And I went to Cedar Rapids and that is when I met Rudy. And honestly, it was love at first sight I think for both of us.

[Dog Trainer] I want you to practice now on saying no because sometimes, you've got to think about it, the people that we serve, they may not be able to hear a person ask if they can pet their dog or we might have someone with PTSD who really doesn't want anybody touching their dog. And so, we want the dogs to be able to have somebody approach them and say hey, can I pet your dog? And you are like, no thank you, not right now. Or you can just say no and keep walking.

[Lorette Vanourny] We're Deafinitely Dogs, obviously, D-e-a-f for Deafinitely. We started out in the hearing dog world. But their technology is so good, it has just gotten better and better and better. So, we don't get as many requests for hearing dogs as we do for PTSD.

[Sherry Steine-Ross] Yes, there's cochlear implants, there's hearing aids, but you take all that out at night and you can no longer hear. Think about how scary that is. Someone could be banging down your door and you wouldn't hear it. So, you have the dog to alert you to your sounds again.

[Lorette Vanourny] So, our hearing dogs are those dogs that can keep playing the game, they can come alert you and take you to the sound and that is really reinforcing to them. Like hey, I heard it, I'm going to come get you. I'm going to take you to it.

[Bridget] Oh, good boy!

[Narrator] Rudy's specific task may be listening and alerting his handler, but it's a perfect illustration of the full-time work of a service dog, from their daily routine at school, to after school coaching track and field, to simply living a full life experiencing the world.

[Bridget Eischeid] And I think that's one of the important parts is he gives me back my independence. He's been to Arrowhead Stadium, he's been to Royals games, he's been to a Snoop Dogg concert. I guess that is the one tradeoff for having a disability, that's the advantage is I get to have this awesome best friend with me to help me through my day.

[Eileen Benthal] The value that we see with each dog is very unique. Johanna's dogs have, especially Ray, accompanied her into NYU in the city. Johanna has had over a hundred brain surgeries. We now actually have a non-profit that we work with people with disabilities in our own farm in the back yard called Johanna's Hope.

[Johanna Benthal] Johanna's Hope.

[Eileen Benthal] And then Mayer has an interesting perspective because he sees people with autism, he sees people in wheelchairs, he sees people who are from the ages of 18 to 62. And we also, we had puppy class here over the summer. We just, we can't stop giving back through the amount that we have received, it just doesn't even compare.

[Dog Trainer] Here you go. Good job.

(airplane engine)

[Renee Moore] So, in Phase 4 of training they have passed the public access test and what we're doing is we're refining their public access skills, we're ensuring that they can handle the high stress environment of traveling because if the veteran travels with them, we need to make sure that the dog can handle the travel as well.

[Narrator] By Phase 4, nearly all the dogs who won't be placed with a veteran have been recareered. In a last assessment of their focus and behavior, Puppy Jake trainers test the dogs in the heavily stimulating environment of a major city.

(music)

[Renee Moore] Riding a subway, riding in taxis --

(Beluga whale vocalizing.)

(Crowd cheering.)

[Renee Moore] We go to the aquarium, we go to professional baseball games, which are just at a whole different caliber. It's more people, more chaos, more noises. Talk about smells. Oh my gosh.

[Tabetha Williams] And things that they maybe haven't encountered and making sure that they have encountered it before somebody gets their hopes on getting that dog.

[Child] Ooh! 

[Rhonda Stuhrenberg] So, Chicago is a lot different than Des Moines. First of all, there is no grass. We need to make sure that the dogs are able to potty themselves on gravel or cement or wherever we tell them that they need to relieve themselves. The other thing too is the traffic noise. There was a lot of people traffic. There was a lot of children. There were a lot of strollers. There's a lot of escalators in Chicago, there are a lot of revolving doors in Chicago. So, Chicago was a really great place to expose these dogs to, to make sure that they had everything that they need to go and be helpful.

[Narrator] Trips to major cities are full of big events and experiences for dogs to negotiate. All the while, their handlers make sure the dogs stay focused on the finer points of their job.

[Tabetha Williams] So, the trainers on the trip, we know all of the skills the dogs should know. How do they go up the stairs? How do they ride the elevator? How do they ride the escalator? They have to navigate public, so they have to look around. But they also have to be handler-focused and so they have to be ready to respond to cues at any moment in time. And so, we really teach the dog through positive reinforcement, by marking every time that they look at us and then following with a treat, that that's a good behavior to do. So, check in with the person at the end of your leash frequently.

(Crowd noise.)

[Boat Tour Guide] I think you made a great choice coming with us today. Chicago is a great place to learn about --

[Narrator] These experiences also educate trainers firsthand what a veteran may encounter while handling a service dog.

[Tabetha Williams] It can be difficult with the public. Lots of reactions. I have lost count of how many people have walked up to the dog, walked past the dog and barked at us. I feel like a lot of us handlers call it the sneaky pet where somebody just will go by and then they'll drop their knees and touch your dog.

[Narrator] Legally, there are only two questions anyone can ask to verify if a dog is a service dog. First, is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? And second, what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? That's it. And unless a dog is out of control or its presence would fundamentally alter the nature of the services of a business, public access cannot be restricted or revoked.

[Renee Moore] I don't feel the public is yet educated. Look at a service dog as a medical device. And you need to treat them just like you would treat somebody with a wheelchair or a walker. And you don't sit and stare at somebody's walker or wheelchair, so you shouldn't sit and stare at somebody's dog, no matter how cute they are. And I know that some of them are really cute.

[Dog Trainer] Good boy.

[Narrator] These trips show what a dog is capable of, but also their limits. For several reasons, dogs have fallen out of the training program, even after these adventures.

[Dr. Michelle Heyer] The fail rate of these dogs is pretty high because the standard is really high. There's chronic medical issues, GI problems and also chronic diarrhea, food sensitivities, chronic allergies, which is really common in a lot of the Goldens and Labradors that tend to be service dogs.

[Narrator] A recareered dog is not a failure. First, they are some of the best trained dogs you'll meet. But second, many of them can go on to work as therapy dogs.

[Off-screen Female Voice] Oh, she's coming to say good morning!

(Child laughing)

[Lisa Fox] So, Caribou and I, our job is to spend time with the kids and make them feel as normal and comfortable as they can while they're here at ChildServe. So, she may jump up in bed with kids, snuggle with them if they're having a hard day. If anybody is having a lab draw or any kind of medical procedure, she may help them be a support to them, maybe play fetch or be of comfort to them while they're in the therapy gym getting their therapy.

[Narrator] ChildServe is a large pediatric health care organization in Iowa. They serve children of all ages and abilities from complex medical needs to autism, behavioral health and more. Caribou had much of the same training as a service dog, but was destined to work with children and serve as a facility dog.

[Dr. Teri Wahlig] Facility dogs are specially trained to not only work in a facility, but to work with the population we serve, children and young adults. And they have such a great effect on the kids. The kids love to see the dogs and they calm down or perk up when Caribou is in their midst. And that is just exactly what we wanted to achieve with Caribou joining the team.

[Narrator] For children with complex medical needs who live at ChildServe round the clock, having a therapy dog like Caribou around helps soften the environment, allowing it to resemble something closer to home.

[Lisa Fox] So, a lot of people at home have a dog. So, we have a dog here and we go on walks and we take Caribou with us. It's like they're just at home because this is their home. So, we let the kids tell us what they would like to do with Caribou.

[Tabetha Williams] Welcome back. My name is Tabetha. So, we'll be going over the public access skills today here at Puppy Jake. For right now we're just kind of building relationships, having the dogs learn how to work with us.

[Narrator] After traveling, dogs return to fosters for the remainder of Phase 4 training. It's at this point Puppy Jake evaluates dogs for traits that would best match with veteran needs. The phase ends when veterans meet their future service dog and become part of the training program.

[Kirby Krome] It's almost like it was fate played out and Koko ended up coming home with us. I remember Patty calling on Scott's birthday and we were like, please be Koko, please be Koko. And she said, we've matched you with Koko. And the entire house erupted in screams and cheers and jumping and hugs and everybody was just so excited. It was a pretty powerful moment.

[Narrator] Phase 5 is the final phase of training. For the next five months, veterans work in tandem with trainers and fosters. For the most part, the dogs are ready. Now, it is the veterans receiving the training, learning commands and best practices for handling a service dog.

[Scott Krome] It's weird, the dogs seem to know that they're going to get swapped to another person. When she would see me when we would go to class, she'd get all excited.

[Narrator] While a veteran is learning new skills in getting to know a dog's personality, the dog starts to discover what its new life will look like.

[Scott Krome] You get to bring her here and watch her investigate everything. And that was really when I really got to see her be a dog instead of a service dog. I never really thought about that Koko has her own little playful personality.

[Kirby Krome] Now that he has Koko, he's kind of like, I can do hard things, I can go places, I can see people, I can live my life.

[Narrator] As another batch of Phase 4 puppies cycled through, Kirby and Scott actually joined the travel party on a service dog trip. So, trainers, four puppies, Puppy Jake personnel and two veterans experienced the pandemonium of New York City together.

[Scott Krome] I'm really excited. I've always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The football game will be nice.

(Crowd cheering.)

[Kirby Krome] I'm nervous, but I am so excited at the same time.

[Scott Krome] Kirby had been bitten when she was a little girl by a bigger dog. So, she was actually not a fan of dogs, let alone a bigger dog. And to have her support and to watch her have my back through this whole thing has been amazing. She's getting ready to get her own dog.

[Kirby Krome] Yeah.

[Narrator] Koko's experience with the Krome family came with an unexpected twist. She found herself in a household with two veterans looking for support.

[Scott Krome] When we were going through training there was a point when they asked Kirby to step back a little bit because Koko was trying to split her time between both of us. She's super intuitive.

[Kirby Krome] I was in the Guard for nine years and I loved it because I found out I was a jack of many trades and a master of none. (laughs) I never deployed. But I have a history with male veterans and some not-so-great things have happened. So, sometimes getting in behind closed doors in close quarters I feel the sense of panic.

[Narrator] As the Krome's became part of the Puppy Jake community, Kirby's story actually led another veteran to reach out and have her consider her own service dog.

[Kirby Krome] It was I want to say Memorial Day when we were up at the cemetery. And then I was approached by Zac who said, hey, why don't you apply for a service dog? And I said, I've never deployed, I never did any of that, I don't deserve a service dog. And he's like, you did your time, you've got your scars, you've got your history.

[Zac Fox] Veterans are a rare breed. A lot of the guys will struggle with they feel like they're taking.

[Zac Fox] But in essence, they have given so much. And I'll tell them that. I'm like, you have no idea. Your life is going to become easier. Let it happen.

[Narrator] When a dog graduates from Puppy Jake, it is given to the veteran at no cost. This practice is very common in the service dog training world, as these organizations almost always are non-profits. In order to make this possible, fundraising is a necessity, so Puppy Jake and its peers commonly foster relationships with grant programs, donors and high-profile individuals such as athletes and artists. A new training program at Puppy Jake, dubbed Dog Perfect, has opened a new source of funding. Branching out from only working with veterans, Dog Perfect trains civilian pet dogs using service dog training techniques.

[Kelly Vohs] For three seconds, when you hit your three seconds, you're going to release your dog up. Click and reward that.

[Narrator] Chris and Jamie Schear entered their dog Echo in Dog Perfect simply because they adopted her through the Animal Rescue League and her rough puppy years instilled some defensive behavior issues.

[Chris Schear] Our goal was to just get a handle on some things that we couldn't control. We couldn't stop her from barking in the car. We couldn't get her to heel and have good leash manners.

[Narrator] As the 15-week course progressed, Echo not only started learning service skills, but took to it quickly.

[Chris Schear] As we've seen changes in her and what she has enjoyed, we've realized maybe we can go beyond our initial we need help heeling and we need leash manners. I don't want to say a service dog, but to be in service to the humans that love and care for her.

[Narrator] Dog Perfect wasn't designed to turn pet dogs into service dogs. But Echo's time in the course has taken her one assessment away from what would be the equivalent of passing Phase 2 in the service dog program.

[Renee Moore] In most cases, service dogs start their training as puppies, not always. The period of time of training is much shorter with adult dogs.

[Narrator] Should Echo thread the needle and go on to be a service dog, through a beautiful twist of fate she would continue Puppy Jake's mission as her primary handler Chris is himself a disabled veteran.

[Chris Schear] I was injured with some armor-piercing grenade shrapnel in training in '94. I wouldn't say I have qualifying criteria to need a service animal. But we've seen the opportunities with this organization that there's some chances that we can even see more greatness out of her than we thought was possible.

[long sigh]

[Vincent Cherchione] Good afternoon, everybody. It's hard to believe it has been seven years since I started my journey with Canine Companions with my first service dog, Taco. Yet here we are again celebrating the graduation of three amazing pups and veterans ready to take on the world.

[Narrator] After two years of training, all service dogs reach their destination, graduation. Each organization handles the event differently, but the outcome is the same. Veterans are celebrated and are permanently handed the leash to their fully-trained service dog.

[Tabetha Williams] And today's celebration really marks the transition that solidifies this bond. We are so excited to see these dogs be where they are meant to be. But they are now your dogs to take --

[Tabetha Williams] -- and to help you.

[Narrator] While dogs are trained and tested up to the moment they are given to their veteran, the trainer-veteran-dog relationship never fully goes away. Service dog skills can soften and be lost. So, continued training is a necessity.

[Lisa Russell] The most rewarding part of my job has to be graduation. But it is not like riding a bike. You have to keep rehearsing those skills, keep reinforcing them and making sure that you're not letting bad behaviors alter what has been a good working dog.

[Lindsay Fox] So, service dogs are a really great tool for helping someone with a disability. But they are not an end all be all. We always say disabilities are like a wheel and all of the different support systems are various spokes on the wheel. So, service dogs can be one spoke, but they're not going to solve everybody's problems.

[Jessica Reiss] It is something that can help and it is a tool. But they are not going to wake up tomorrow not having PTSD. Maybe, you know, going to a public place their anxiety is at a 10, the goal is that now that they have their dog their anxiety is at a 4. So, it's really just the dog helping make it manageable, as opposed to the dog is not going to make it disappear.

[Mark Bruns] I really don't think I could do it every day without her. And if I was to talk to another veteran, I would tell them, you know, they distract you. They know when you are kind of getting into a funk or whatever.

[Matt Hodges] Yeah, you're going through a rough time. But --

[Matt] Did we pass?

[Dog Trainer] You did.

[Matt Hodges] -- through a lot of work and with a great companion, it can become manageable and get better for you and then you can help the next guy that comes along.

[Narrator] Service dogs have a specific role meant for a single person. But with practically every placement, they create community and a spirit of gratitude.

[Bridget Eischeid] Even here at school there will be days where the bell will ring and the kids will be dismissed. Teachers will come through the door and they'll be like, I'm not here for you, I just need to see Rudy for a second. I mean, Rudy might be an animal, but he's also like my best friend. He just makes me happier. He just makes every day better.

[Kirby Krome] I'm extremely grateful for Puppy Jake, for Scott, for myself. Puppy Jake has become like a family to us between our trainers, the staff and just the fosters have been life changing.

[Kirby] Break.

[Kirby clicks training clicker]

[Kirby Krome] Therefore, I feel like fostering or giving my time at these trainings is the least of what I can do for what they've done for us.

[Scott Krome] They do a lot of events where they have dogs show up and I try to do as many of those as I can to help give back to Puppy Jake because I'm so grateful for what I got that I want to give back.

[Narrator] The full impact of service dogs may in some ways be immeasurable. However, from trainers and fosters to veterans and civilians, it's clear their presence is profound.

[Dr. Michelle Heyer] I really love the human animal bond. When you think about what freedoms our pets give us and the confidence that our pets give us and the joy that our pets give us and then taking that into how those veterans must feel when they regain their confidence, it's staggering emotionally to think about what an impact that can be.

[Zac Fox] This program changed my life. This dog changed my life. I can't -- I'm not going to cry.

[Zac] All right, graduates 2025, we're going to see you back for another five months, but enjoy your dogs. Okay. Love on 'em.

[Chris Schear] I can say firsthand in friends that I have known and lost that service dogs could have helped them, I'm positive of it. I've seen veterans, neighbors, friends, benefiting from dogs who want to help. They don't think of it as a job. And when that role is to support and help the human beings they love, I think that is a perfect meld of opportunity and giving that dog a purpose, giving that human being a life.

[Leeana Gregaltis] When I came here, my goal was to have the ability to be independent again. Every veteran should feel supported and believed and understood. And every mental health provider should understand the impact of PTSD. Now, I look at him and say, we can do this together. I wouldn't be able to do it by myself. That's the honest to goodness truth. But I know I can do it with him.

[Tabetha Williams] The dog ends up ultimately where they should be because we don't force them to be a service dog.

[Off-screen Woman's Voice] Hi, sweetheart.

[Tabetha Williams] It's really cool then, I get to watch that puppy develop to an adult, and then I get to watch them pair with a veteran. I get to watch families come back together.

[Zac Fox] There's so many of these things that I can see, I can pinpoint in people, like this guy needs it now. If the things that you have given your country cause you to not be able to leave your house, those are the people we're after. Those are the people who say hey, I know for a fact I can change your life. I sob every single time because I'm like, you have no idea how much your life is going to change.

Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.