Veterans Day takes place annually on November 11; this day was put in place by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in order to honor American Veterans of all wars. The day is celebrated with parades, events and ceremonies.
Last year, the 2023 Senior Class did their part to support the holiday by holding a Penny War Fundraiser for an organization called VetPets. The fundraiser raised over $1,000 for the organization that benefits veterans all around Pennsylvania.
VetPets is a non-profit organization that provides service and therapy dogs to veterans and first responders in need.
These animals also allow for disabled veterans to be more independent. Dogs are able to retrieve items and assist with mobility also as well as be able to sense when someone is having an anxiety attack or even going into diabetic shock. The dogs can help with animal-assisted therapeutic activities which reduce anxiety, stress, depression and lower blood pressure and can increase dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain.
Mrs. Pegram, one of Trinity’s secretaries, first got involved with VetPets through the school fundraiser. She said, “when my husband was contacted about receiving a dog, I got even more involved by helping train my husband’s dog and attending training sessions and outreach fundraisers with the group.”
Often, veterans can suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and having a dog to focus on can ease the stress for them. They can also provide a layer of security for many of our veterans in terms of “blocking” for them, which means that the dogs will lay or stand around the veteran to create a barrier so people don’t get too close to their person.
When the organization wishes to place a dog and a veteran, they find out the needs and personalities of both. VetPets allows for veterans to have the option to select their own dog. Then, the dog will go through training with the VetPets organization.
Pegram’s husband, who is a veteran with medical needs, is one of the recipients of a VetPets dog, they received a Red English Lab that he named Nessy. She provides comfort to him and will eventually be able to provide health related tasks once she is fully trained. Some of these tasks will include DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) and possible mobility support.
Pegram said, “I am just very happy to be involved with an organization that is truly there for the Veterans and their families. We are gaining new friendships through working with this program. It is really nice for my husband to talk to people that are dealing with some of the same situations he deals with on a daily basis. Our adorable baby is a huge bonus.”
To learn more about VetPets, visit this link: https://www.pavetpets.org
