Film Festival Now Open for Entries

Preferred content should be ultimately uplifting in tone. And while the specifics are up to you, here are a few ideas for exploration:

• Illustrate one or more of the unique skills that a PTSD service dog is trained to perform for their veteran handler and detail how that skill has worked to improve the veteran’s quality of life.
• Demonstrate the long-term effects that a PTSD service dog has had on their handler’s PTSD symptoms and quality of life.
• Highlight the challenges that veterans face with regard to PTSD service dogs. (E.g., supply vs. demand issues, PTSD service dogs not currently being a covered medical expense, public access hurdles, mental health stigmas, etc.) 

PTSD service dogs for Veterans are not the same as emotional support, therapy, or companion dogs. They are a subset of psychiatric service dogs and, like all service dogs, are specifically trained to help their handler perform tasks they cannot otherwise perform on their own.  

PTSD service dogs have been proven to help reduce the severity of PTSD symptoms, reduce suicidal ideations, and enable their Veteran handlers to enjoy increased independence and a higher quality of life. However, PTSD service dogs are currently NOT a covered medical benefit provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs. Fortunately, there are a growing number of PTSD service dog training organizations across the country that work to provide these life-saving dogs to Veterans in need at no cost to them.  

Read the remarkable, real-life stories of some exceptional PTSD service dogs on our Hall of Heroes page.