Web & Moore is now the PROUD Supporter of the Stiggy’s Dogs Organization.
Stiggy’s Dogs is a 501(c)(3) organization that rescues and trains shelter dogs to be psychiatric service dogs for military veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) or Traumatic Brain Injury (“TBI”). The psychiatric service dogs are trained and deployed at no cost to the veteran.
Stiggy’s Dogs all pass the Canine Good Citizen ® Certification test and then are paired with their handlers for further training. Since each veteran has unique qualities and needs, each dog is individually trained to meet that veteran’s needs. Stiggy’s Dogs offers the veteran and dog pairing a lifetime of support after deployment.
Inspiration
For 2015, I decided that I wanted Web & Moore to be more involved with our local community. I instantly knew what organization to support, as it is very close to my heart.
My good friend Chris, that I have grown up with since Elementary School, joined the Marine Corps right out of High School. He’s been deployed to Iraq, and I won’t get into the details, but when he got home and we reconnected, I could instantly tell that he was not the same Chris that I knew. Now, I know that people change as they grow, which he did, but this Chris was something different. I was scared for him, and worried that he was in a place so dark, that nothing I said would help. I kept in touch and watched his journey, as he came home, and then as he started the program with Stiggy’s Dogs.
You see, we shared something in common, a Service Dog. Although I have a different “type” of Service Dog, my Service Dog, Liberty, is a Medical Alert Dog who helps me physically and emotionally during my medical issues and surgeries. In NO way do I compare what I have gone through with what a Veteran has gone through, EVER. But, I DO understand immensely, how important, and how much a Service Dog can help change your life, and SAVE your life. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for my dog Liberty. I love her, and I need her.
Chris and I would stay in touch and talk about our journey with our Service Dogs. We found that we had several things in common when it came to being in public with our dogs (both good and bad). I could go on and on with stories. The one thing I found frequently discussed was the joy that it brought both of us, in that each of our dogs were our worlds and helped us survive in it. Over time, I witnessed Chris grow and change, and come back to life. This dog saved his life, in more ways than anyone could possibly understand. The Chris I know today is the Chris I knew before he left, but even more grown, mature, and stronger than ever.
I am so thankful to Stiggy’s Dogs for saving my friend. Service dogs are something I understand, and are close to my heart. I want to share not only his story, but spread the awareness of PTSD, and show the world there is hope out there for Veterans. Stiggy’s Dogs is one solution, and I am so excited to be able to support this great charity in any way that I can. I hope that you will share this and find it within yourself to donate to this great cause!
-Samantha (Owner – Web & Moore, Inc.)
“You never know how
STRONG YOU ARE
until being strong is
the only choice you have.”
Not all wounds bleed…
but there is hope for the pain.
Studies have shown that 1 in 8 soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq will have some symptoms of PTSD. Feelings of anxiety, depression and detachment make returning to civilian life difficult for these veterans. Those veterans living with TBI have their own unique needs. Studies have also shown that 82% of patients with PTSD who were assigned a service dog had a decrease in symptoms. This includes a decreased need for medication in 40% of the patients studied.
There are an estimated five million dogs sitting in shelters across America, many of whom will be euthanized. Many of these dogs could make an excellent service dog for a veteran living with PTSD and/or TBI.
By uniting the two, we are
Rescuing One to Rescue Another.
-Stiggy’s Dogs
