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LA Veteran Grateful For Service Dog Program That ‘Saves Two Lives’
Eddie Aldrete and Dakota.
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Robert Garrova
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LAist
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This Thanksgiving, one veteran in L.A. is eternally grateful for his very special dog.
Just a few years ago, Eddie Aldrete was in the hospital and suffering from PTSD and depression after a 24-year career in the Army that included deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. A friend and fellow soldier told him about K9s for Warriors, a program that pairs service dogs with veterans. He did a one-month boot camp with Dakota, a 2-year-old black Australian Labradoodle.
Now Dakota goes everywhere with Aldrete: restaurants, the airport, even a couple of concerts.
“She gave me back my life,” Aldrete said, sitting at a table with Dakota at Belvedere Park in East L.A.
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“She’s actually gotten me to the point to where I can go out and feel comfortable, and I feel that she has my back, kind of like the battle buddy that I had in the military,” he said.
Little by little, Aldrete said he’s even been coming off his mental health medications.
“Can it be that it’s because of her? I believe it,” he said.
‘Saving two lives’
K9s for Warriors says the majority of its dogs come from shelters.
“They save two lives: they save a dog’s life and they save a veteran,” Aldrete said.
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The nonprofit says it’s graduated more than 800 veteran-K9 teams and rescued some 2,000 dogs. Program participants come to K9s for Warriors struggling with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and military sexual trauma, in some cases.
Aldrete said Dakota is so in tune with him that she can wake him up from a bad dream or know when he’s getting too frustrated when driving. And he said Dakota has taken him out of his own bubble and gotten him back out enjoying his life again.
“Who knows, if I would have not gotten her, I probably wouldn’t be here sitting talking to you,” Aldrete said, fighting back tears.
Ask For Help
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- Steinberg Institute website, links to mental health resources and care throughout California
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- Institute on Aging's 24/7 Friendship Line (especially for people who have disabilities or are over 60), 1-800-971-0016 or call 415-750-4138 to volunteer.
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- Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, 24/7 Access Line 1-800-854-7771.
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- The Crisis Text Line, Text "HOME" (741-741) to reach a trained crisis counselor.
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- California Psychological Association Find a Psychologist Locator
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- Psychology Today guide to therapist
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If You Need Immediate Help
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- If you or someone you know is in crisis and need immediate help, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or go here for online chat.
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More Guidance
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- Find 5 Action Steps for helping someone who may be suicidal, from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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- Six questions to ask to help assess the severity of someone's suicide risk, from the Columbia Lighthouse Project.
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- To prevent a future crisis, here's how to help someone make a safety plan.
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