Success Story

When you support NEADS World Class Service Dogs, you change lives.  

How Jeter Gave Jared His Life Back: A Veteran’s Story

Jared was diagnosed with PTSD after returning from Iraq in 2006. He had anxiety attacks two or three times a day. He rarely left the house except to go to work or school, and found it nearly impossible to take his nine-year-old son to do things like go to the park or travel. Work, school, and his relationship with his son were suffering, so, at the recommendation of his therapist, he applied to the NEADS Trauma Assistance Dog program and was matched with Jeter.

“My son is the light of my life, but before I had Jeter, I just wasn’t there for him. For eleven years, PTSD controlled a lot of my life. I was miserable all the time. I was mad at everyone. It was hard to just function in society. I tried so many things — medications, therapy — but nothing seemed to work. I got divorced, I lost jobs, I lost a lot of friends.

“Then I was matched with Jeter, and everything changed overnight. I knew a Service Dog would make things easier, but Jeter has literally changed my life and my son’s life. I am a completely different person now than I was two years ago. It’s like night and day. I’ve gone from where I couldn’t leave my house to traveling around the world with my son. I had been doing poorly in college, but I’ve now graduated and am in law school.

“Jeter came into our lives at exactly the right time. I’m getting to where I want to be in life, and he’s helping me get there. No medication, no support system, no therapy has done as much as he has.”