The connection between humans and dogs goes back tens of thousands of years. The bond is being harnessed by the Canberra charity, ‘Integra Service Dogs Australia’. The organisation pairs labradors with military veterans who are living with mental and physical injuries and the partnerships are proving to be life changing.
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00:00Two-year-old Capri is being picked up for work from her foster family. Capri is one
00:09of around a dozen Labradors currently in training with Integra Service Dogs.
00:14Today we'll be doing, working on a lot of our contact skills, just that really nice
00:18contact that can ground a handler and really calm them if they're becoming elevated.
00:25Labradors not suited to being guide dogs come here for a career change, learning to
00:30see and smell mental health symptoms like anxiety, hyper-awareness and flashbacks.
00:36A lot of things that you and I take for granted in everyday life, so just building the confidence
00:40to go outside in the busy public space, to build new skills in communication and loyalty
00:45and trust.
00:47Integra started in 2015 when co-founder Ben Johnson realised the power of a well-trained
00:52lab.
00:53It's important to give someone a new sense of purpose and focus and skills, and critically
00:57to keep that individual alive at that point in time, to give them a sense of motivation
01:02and routine and reward.
01:04It's now the largest service dog charity in the country, matching a dog's strengths and
01:08personality with the handler's needs.
01:11Come on, get dressed.
01:13Australian Army veteran Chris Hodder lives with PTSD. His dog Bella has been trained
01:18to recognise his symptoms.
01:20PTSD can make you very aggressive, very uneasy, and they bring back the ease, and Bella has
01:29changed my life for the better.
01:31Because where I was apprehensive, where I had anxiety and was always on edge, she's
01:39taken that away.
01:41Bella was paired with Chris three years ago.
01:43And she just sat straight down next to my feet, so it was sort of like an instant bond,
01:50and that night, it was funny because I had a horrendous nightmare that night, and she
01:54woke me up.
01:55She actually nosed me on the face as if to say, are you okay?
02:01And they've been inseparable ever since.
02:03She's not a pet, she's my mate, she's my confidant, she's the one that keeps me on track.
02:11A man and his dog in emotional lockstep.