Jay M. Henderson

JAY HENDERSON, then a graduate student at University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, was granted funding in April 2021 to aid research on “Service Dogs for U.S. Veterans: Trauma, Ethical Entanglements, and the Everyday,” supervised by Dr. William T.S. Mazzarella. Retitled ““Trust Your Dog: Training Service Dogs for US Veterans with Trauma,” the research undertaken in this project begins by tracing the history of service dogs, from the first service dog in 1975 to the proliferation of non-profit organizations that provide service dogs to veterans at no cost to the veteran. Service dogs became a “need” for the community of veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; they are distinct from other kinds of animals because they are allowed in public. With the goal of public access, trainers aim to promote an ordinary lifestyle for veterans defined as American consumers who feel safe in public instead of hypervigilant. The project also looks at how service dogs are simultaneously subjects of love and trust and objects of medical equipment. Service dogs only function as medical tools because of the bond they form with their veteran. The bond resembles that of the “battle buddy” that combat veterans were paired with in the field. Finally, this research delves into how organizations train obedience but also leave space for the dog to alert if their handler is in distress. This is often called “obedient disobedience” by trainers. If a well-trained dog starts to misbehave, this can be a sign that the handler is starting to experience anxiety.