Furry Texas Caregivers Help First Responders In El Paso

Research has shown time and time again that animals help lower stress levels, and it is for that reason a special team of dogs were dispatched to El Paso following the shooting at an El Paso Walmart that killed 22 people.

Due to the physical and mental toll faced by firefighters and medical personnel, Methodist Healthcare Systems sent their Emergency Services Facility dog team to El Paso to provide “unconditional love and support”.

Chanel, Lady and Rudy were shelter dogs who were rescued and trained by Service Dogs Inc., a non-profit organization that provides service dogs free of charge for people with disabilities, veterans and facility dogs for courthouses and first responders.

According to their Facebook page:

"Service Dogs, Inc. builds better lives for Texans overcoming challenges through partnerships with custom trained Assistance Dogs, provided free-of-charge.
We serve veterans and other adults residing in Texas and custom train each dog for the individual client’s needs. Client training includes a 5-day Team Training Class at our training facility followed by 13 weekly sessions in their home, workplace, and community. Clients receive follow up for the lifetime of the Hearing or Service Dog. Trainers Academy – Professional dog trainers can learn how to train Hearing and Service Dogs, shelter dog evaluation and public work in a 5-day workshop followed by opportunities for audits. Limited class size guarantees lots of attention from instructors. Over 50% hands-on training sessions with our advanced program dogs."

The dogs are scheduled to return to San Antonio at the end of this week.