Franken's First Bill: Service Dogs For Wounded Vets
One more argument can now be put to rest in the wake of the MN SEN contest: Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) doesn't hate puppies.
In a Minneapolis Star Tribune op-ed over the weekend, Franken announced plans for his first piece of legislation in the U.S. Senate: a pilot program providing service dogs for wounded veterans. According to the op-ed, the program would "help train a statistically significant number of dogs to measure the benefits to veterans with physical and emotional wounds." The idea for the plan, Franken noted, came from a meeting with Iraq vet Luis Carlos Montalvan and his golden retriever, "Tuesday," at an inaugural event in DC. Montalvan, an ex-intel. officer who survived an assassination attempt in '05 and now suffers from severe PTSD, told Franken that he couldn't have made it to the inauguration without Tuesday.
According to Franken spokesperson Jess McIntosh, the service dogs would be trained by nonprofits and would be provided to both mentally and physically injured vets. Franken visited one such nonprofit, Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota, after his meeting with Montalvan.
Before his Senate days, Franken took several trips to entertain U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on USO tours, an experience he makes a point of noting in his op-ed.
McIntosh said that over the course of the protracted election contest and recount, among other matters, Franken researched military issues and the needs of wounded vets.
She noted that Franken, a "major dog lover," was dealt a blow during the SEN campaign by the death of his eight-year-old black lab, Kirby, from bone cancer. Franken "still calls it the worst day of the campaign," McIntosh said. But McIntosh added that the service dog program "wasn't something he'd talked about" or started researching until he met with Montalvan in Jan.
Franken has not provided a dollar-figure for the program (the program aims to place at least 200 dogs). But as concerns over the cost of health care reform dominate debate in Washington and the problem of the nation's struggling economy looms large, how does he intend to justify the price tag?
"We're talking about veterans," McIntosh said. "We're talking about the people to whom we owe the most." She added that furry friends offer therapeutic benefits and ultimately curb some medical costs, allowing the program to pay for itself.
(FELICIA SONMEZ)
This project bridges all political and personal boundaries. Everything possible can and should be done for our troops. As in many instances volunteers start the process by fostering dogs like the Seeing Eye dog program and then the professional’s trainers take over. When it comes to assisting our troops and caring for the ones who have given so much for us don’t tell me it can’t be accomplished, find a way to make it happen. Just remember something I have always lived by, “Solutions, not excuses!”.
I can't tell you how this program touches my heart. I am the wife of a military retiree. I have my own service dog and I couldn't have independence without her in my life. I am so happy to hear that many service men and women who need a service animal with get the opportunity to experience the same freedom that I do. Thank you Al Franken.
!. You need a supply of dogs. Try the shelters. Many people have had to surrender their animals because of the economy. Although all these dogs wouldn't be eligible/appropriate for this venture, many of them would.
I know this can be done. One of my best friends has a service dog that came from a shelter.
2. There are prison programs that train these dogs. Prisoners with good behavior are considered excellent candidates for this program. If one prisoner per year does not re-offend and go back into the system, the program has already paid for itself.
3.As far as start up fees go, approaching any of the big charitable foundations(the Ford Foundation for example) could certainly help to get things off the ground.
4. There are many people who train service dogs without pay. I know I am one of them.
I don't know who will see this post but I hope they will pass along this information.