CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) – September is National Service Dog Month, raising awareness for the major support these working dogs provide their owners.
In the Heartland, those with Carbondale-based group Down the Leash Service Dogs are working to make that resource more accessible.
The veteran-run nonprofit offers free training to veterans and their dogs.
Tony Eaton, USMC veteran and retired police officer, founded the group in 2022. He said an encounter at the grocery store with the wife of another veteran led him to start this journey.
“She had seen me with my dog…she had mentioned that her husband was in need of a service dog, so I tried helping him to find a service group that can do that, and unfortunately we didn’t have very much luck with that,” Eaton said.
Service dogs can cost $20,000 to $30,000, a major obstacle standing in the way of more veterans receiving the support they need. It’s a resource not covered by the VA.
Eaton said he decided to step in and fill that gap.
“I said, ‘Hey, I’ll teach you how to train your own dog, I trained my dog.’ Next thing I know, we’re starting this little program out in my mom and dad’s garage.”
What began as an effort to help a single veteran is now a program with more than 20 people currently enrolled.
One of those participants is Mark Haddick, who served in Vietnam. He said he received help through VA programs, but it wasn’t quite the solution he needed.
“I’ve been fighting to admit I had PTSD for the last 50 years since I left Vietnam. I saw Tony’s article on Facebook, and called him and asked what I had to do to train a service dog,” Haddick said.
Admitting a need for help is tough on anyone, veterans and civilians alike. Sometimes, the stigma is so great, that people push down that need until it consumes them.
That’s why Down the Leash Service Dogs isn’t just a resource for service dog training.
“We’re actually a suicide prevention group,” Eaton said. “We bring the veteran in and we give them a mission. The mission becomes their dog, and it helps them to be able to heal.”
Participants don’t just gain skills and a valuable support animal. Eaton said in many ways, they get their life back.
“When we’re young and we join the military, we’re fearless…Why is it that 10, 15, 20 years down the road, we don’t wanna go out? We don’t wanna be part of society…These guys are regaining their life with our program,” Eaton said.
Anyone interested in participating in the program can contact Eaton through the group’s Facebook page.
Down the Leash Service Dogs relies on grants and donations. People can give online by clicking here.
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