‘Dog is God spelled backwards': Siouxland nonprofit trains service dogs for veterans

Yahoo

27-02-2025

ANTHON, Iowa (KCAU) — Dogs are considered man's best friend, and some dogs go above and beyond helping veterans with their day-to-day lives.
For roughly 16 years, 'Partners for Patriots' has helped veterans receive their best friend.
'We train service dogs and provide them to disabled veterans free of charge,' director and lead trainer Cindy Brodie said.
The nonprofit works with people in the community to get pups raised up to a year old, and during that time, they're trained in a variety of ways.
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'We test them with a lot of noise, gunfire, firecrackers,' Brodie said. We have a piece of a cement chute that we drag around that is very loud. They have to be very obedient, be used to public access. And then the dogs that react to your nervousness if you get upset and act like you need them, they're there.'
Once the pups hit a year old, Brodie begins to work with the dogs on certain tasks like opening a fridge to grab a water.
'We kind of evaluate the dog,' she said. 'Some are always carrying stuff in their mouth, and there are bigger dogs, so we could use them for balance, traumatic brain injury, they pick up stuff for them, they help them down stairs, you know.'
However, not all pups are built to carry.
'They're just there if you need them, so they would be amazing for PTSD and, you know, night terrors, stuff like that,' Brodie said.
Currently, Partners for Patriots has nine dogs they're training. They find homes for roughly 22 canines a year. While the dogs are free to vets, the process to receive their new best friend is long.
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'The average time is at least nine months to a year,' Brodie said. 'And there's so many veterans that need help and just, you know, between funding and time, there's two of us training. It takes a lot.'
However, when a veteran finally gets their dog…
'The stories will have you in tears and how the dogs have helped them,' Brodie said. 'There's guys and gals alive because of these dogs. Those dogs just get into their soul. I tell people that's why dog is God spelled backwards, because they get into their soul.'
If you'd like to volunteer for or donate to Partners for Patriots, .
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