Dogs to help returning troops with PTSD

The federal Department of Defense is looking into using dogs to counter the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This article in the Kansas City Star tells more.

So the Defense Department is financing a $300,000 study that will pair troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with dogs trained to sense when their masters are about to have a panic attack and give them a calming nudge or nuzzle.

These psychiatric service dogs have been assisting people with a variety of mental illnesses since the late 1990s. About 10,000 such dogs are now in use.

New but preliminary research suggests that the dogs may be particularly helpful for people with PTSD.

Researchers presented their findings Thursday at a military health research conference.

Sounds like a great way to spend defense funds, doesn't it?