L., a reserve combat officer recognized by the Defense Ministry as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is waiting for a medical committee to determine his disability rating. But one of the most urgent parts of his recovery is stuck in bureaucratic delay: his request to adopt a service dog.
As he sees it, the dog could make a dramatic difference in his daily fight with the invisible wounds of war.
A dog could make a dramatic difference in the daily fight with the invisible wounds of war
(Photo: IDF)
“As part of my rehabilitation process, we realized that a service dog really helps me get up in the morning, perform tasks, leave the house, things I usually struggle with because of the injury,” he told ynet.
L. said he has been waiting a month and a half for the relevant committee to convene. “They promised they would meet at least twice last month, but a month and a half has passed and the committee still hasn’t met,” he said.
The process, he explained, begins with a request to a social worker, who reviews the applicant’s case. For those still in the process of being officially recognized, officials make a rough assessment of the disability percentage they are expected to receive, because service dogs are available only from a 20% disability rating and above.
“The final stage before the adoption process itself is the district committee, where they discuss all the people who submitted requests, according to the number of dogs allocated, and they may approve or reject the request,” he said.
L. is currently exempt from reserve duty because of his mental health. He said it is difficult to convey the impact a service dog can have on someone with PTSD.
“It is so huge,” he said. “Whether during anxiety attacks, when the dog comes and grounds you and hugs you, like a weighted blanket that helps you calm down and come back to yourself, or in basic actions like getting up in the morning. If you are alone, you don’t always have the willpower or ability to get out of bed, but with a dog, you have to take it out and feed it.”
That routine, he said, can become a lifeline.
“It forces you to get up in the morning and start the day, and also to leave the house, take it to play and go for walks, which forces you to be exposed to the environment and meet people,” he said. “That is something people with PTSD usually avoid. All the noise and commotion around are very difficult, especially when it is an invisible disability that people don’t see.”
The dog, he added, also signals to others that the person beside it is dealing with something serious.
“People understand, ‘OK, this is a service dog, there is a person here who has a problem,’ and then people are more aware and their attitude changes accordingly,” he said.
For L., the need is urgent.
“My need for this is critical,” he said. “The meaning of a service dog for me is the ability to leave the house.”
Dr. Rotem Sivan, founder of the organization “Ima Era,” sharply criticized the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department, accusing it of abandoning wounded soldiers in what she called “the invisible battlefield of the soul.”
“Promises are one thing and reality is another,” she said. “They promised committees twice a month, and in practice there has been total paralysis for a month and a half. Service dogs are not luxuries; they are life-saving support. While the bureaucracy sleeps, our boys are sinking into deep depression.”
“As a mother of soldiers, and as a physician who understands the need for rapid treatment for recovery and rehabilitation, I will not remain silent in the face of this indifference,” she added. “We demand that the Rehabilitation Department wake up immediately and convene the committee. The blood and souls of our sons are not abandoned property.”
The Rehabilitation Department said the delay stems from a shortage of dogs.
“Training a service dog takes about a year and a half on average,” the department said. “We have four centers that train service dogs, and just last week another call for proposals was issued in order to increase the number of training centers and shorten the waiting period.”
According to the department, about 470 patients currently use service dogs, while about 300 others are waiting for a service dog to complete training.
“The department will continue doing everything it can to make the support and assistance provided by service dogs accessible to the wounded,” it said.