Therapon, a formally trained service dog provided to Aleph, a veteran with PTSD by the American Pit Bull Foundation's Operation Sidekick program, was taken from him with no valid cause on Thursday, January 21, 2016. The director of the foundation claims that Therapon was not current in her veterinary care, but all records show that she was up-to-date on her vaccinations and following recommended guidelines for cold-climate heartworm prevention.
The tragedy here is that Therapon's dad, who has struggled with PTSD, depression, addiction, and suicidal thoughts in the past, had his service dog forcibly taken from his home with no legitimate cause. His life has literally been put at risk by the person who manages Operation Sidekick, a program that claims to support veterans with PTSD by providing service dogs to them.
This is directly from the Operation Sidekick website: "Over 22 veterans a day are lost to suicide, which is now the leading cause of death in the military, surpassing war. Over 4,000 Pit Bulls are killed every day. APBF is the first organization to bridge the gap and exclusively train rescued pit bulls as service dogs to help our veterans overcome the daily struggle of PTSD and depression."
How is APBF / OS helping Aleph?
