I found Elizabeth Duckworth’s letter to the editor (May 11) about the governor’s dog very interesting, particularly in view of the Page B1 article May 12 titled “Therapy dogs lower student stress levels during finals.”

If Ms. Duckworth read the article, would she think the students who interact with therapy dogs need a therapist? The reporter pointed out that the dogs “were brought in to help students deal with stress during finals week.”

As many people are aware, this is not the only use for therapy dogs. There is considerable evidence that therapy dogs help veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. There is a nonprofit organization here in midcoast Maine that is “dedicated to providing direct and supportive services to Maine veterans and their families living with PTSD and/or TBI.”

The organization, Embrace A Vet, provides this assistance by pairing a veteran with a dog rescued from a shelter such as the Coastal Humane Society. Embrace A Vet provides training for the dog to become a service animal.

The dog is “specially trained to meet the needs of its veteran … by providing a sense of security and neutralizing negative emotions.” Both veteran and dog go through a four-month group training program, and this joint training process “creates a lasting bond between dog and vet.”

Once they graduate from the training course, the dog receives a service dog vest, which allows the vet to take the dog into stores, other retail establishments, etc. In effect, the service dog has the same rights as a guide dog.

As folks associated with Embrace A Vet are fond of saying, “We save a dog, and we save a vet.”

Joyce Morgan

Brunswick

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