Service dog helping Vietnam veteran cope with PTSD
It’s a lot easier for veteran Bill Hoy to talk about his dog, Dibbs, than his time in Vietnam. Hoy suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. Dibbs, a 3-year-old pit bull boxer mix, helps him cope with it. "I've had dogs all my life," Hoy said. "This one is pretty special. This one does something the others can't do." Dibbs is graduate of Service Dogs of Distinction. He’s trained to help Hoy with anxiety and other emotional battles that follow service-related traumas. Dibbs knows when Hoy gets agitated and is ready to help when he’s feeling depressed. "When I'm depressed, I sit at my desk at the computer and just sit there," Hoy said. "When I do that for any period of time, next thing I know, he's got his head in my face and it's time to go outside, and it gets me out of it. It makes it easier. Easier for me to cope."
