The Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund has provided a $25,000 grant to the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit (CVSDU) to purchase and train two service dogs dedicated to naval veterans.

The RCNBF is proud to partner with the CVSDU to support and improve the mental health of injured naval veterans and their families. Service dogs can be essential to a person’s care, treatment, and recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an Operational Stress Injury (OSI). Moreover, they can change the quality of life for a whole family by providing stability for the injured veteran and helping to heal relationships. The CVSDU approach offers ongoing training and peer encouragement, as service dog teams must requalify every two years after qualification.

Sandy shares the impact that his service dog Mandy has had: “With the support of my wife and the help of Mandy, my stabilization process has led me to a place where I have been able to do treatment and find healing, which I thought would never happen… she has saved me and made the quality of my family’s life much better than it was.”

For more information on the CVSDU and its program, visit https://cvsdu.ca.