Navy veteran Brantley Cargill bonds with Cadence, a Great Dane pup he was matched with by Paws and People Assisting Wounded Warriors (PpaWWs), a North-Carolina-based nonprofit organization that pairs service dogs with veterans who have traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cargill is a sergeant with the Opelika, Alabama, police force who served in Kuwait in 2005, working with U.S. prisoners as part of a field detention unit.
Written By Lisa Breslin, Photos by: Phil Grout
A four and a half-month-old Great Dane pup named Barrett is romping around his foster home in Westminster these days with little more on his mind than “How do I get past that baby gate? and “Wonder if there is another toy coming my way.”
But when he is six to eight months old, his role will shift from pampered puppy to the companion that someone depends upon to get through day-to-day routines.
Barrett is one of 15 Great Dane puppies placed in Westminster homes in February as part of Paws and People Assisting Wounded Warriors (PpaWWs), a North Carolina-based nonprofit organization that raises service dogs for veterans who have traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Named after Sergeant Major Michael Barrett, the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, the sergeant’s canine namesake is temporarily living with Rose and Rick Blizzard while they nurture him through such boot camp basics as “sit,” “stay,” “release,” “heel,” and “come.”
“We work with Barrett in sevens,” said Rose Blizzard. “We’re supposed to get him used to seven different floor textures – tile, carpet, pavement, grass, etc. – seven different containers to eat from, seven types of stairs to traverse. We get him used to loud noises, children, people who use canes or wheelchairs. That’s the boot camp. Plus, we are essentially getting Barrett through puberty.”
After the PpaWWs pups spend six months with a family, they are matched with a veteran and train with their new owner for six months, said Laura Westerfield, director of PpaWW’s East Coast Headquarters.
The service helps veterans physically, as well as emotionally. After about six to eight weeks with a puppy, veterans with brain injuries experience a 20-25 percent increase in cognitive functions, said Westerfield.
In 2011, PpaWWs placed 15 dogs with wounded warriors. The organization hopes to place 50 dogs this year.
Last month, Westminster resident Karen Riegel ushered Cadence, a Great Dane puppy she fostered, into the home of Brantley Cargill, a veteran from Alabama who suffers from PTSD as well as a traumatic brain injury.
Cadence’s shift from her Westminster home to Alabama was bittersweet, Riegel said. But fostering dogs for veterans is her way of giving back.
“I don’t like being the center of attention and this allows me to love dogs and help others behind the scenes,” said Riegel.
Soon after Cadence left, Riegel was matched with another Great Dane.
The extra dog hair around the house, the chewed shoes and occasionally scratched table are small prices to pay, she said, especially knowing that Cadence and Barrett enable veterans to have their lives back.
As a Vietnam veteran who served on the USS Kitty Hawk, Rick Blizzard considers his role with PpaWWs “an honor.” Rose, who works with McDaniel College’s Registrars Office and is certified to work with veterans, also considers the temporary life with Barrett “the perfect way to give back.”
“I’m so glad that people are finally recognizing the need for this form of healing. It is way, way overdue,” said Rick.
Westerfield has been so impressed by the support for PpaWWs in this region that she hopes to bring her organization and a training facility to Carroll County.
“I have been all over the country and I have never found the level of support and generosity that I have found in Carroll County,” said Westerfield.
To meet some of the foster families and learn more about PpaWWs: www.ppawws.org/calendar
