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Renderers Proudly Helping Veterans Despite his sweet face, Nara II can be quite a troublemaker. As part of its sustainability commitment, the North ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶZĞŶĚĞƌĞƌƐƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ;EZͿŚŽůĚƐĂŶĂƵĐƟŽŶĂƚŝƚƐ ĂŶŶƵĂůĐŽŶǀĞŶƟŽŶĞĂĐŚKĐƚŽďĞƌƚŽƌĂŝƐĞĨƵŶĚƐĨŽƌƚŚĞĂŶŝŶĞ Companions for Independence (CCI) Wounded Veterans /ŶŝƟĂƟǀĞ͘dŽĚĂƚĞ͕EZ͛ƐŵĞŵďĞƌƐŚĂǀĞĚŽŶĂƚĞĚΨϭϬϯ͕ϬϬϬ͕ far beyond the $50,000 cost to raise and train one puppy that ǁŝůůƵůƟŵĂƚĞůǇďĞĐŽŵĞĂƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚĨƌĞĞƚŽĂƉĞƌƐŽŶ with a disability. dŽ ƚŚĂŶŬ ƚŚĞ ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ŝƚƐ ŐĞŶĞƌŽƐŝƚǇ͕ / ŶĂŵĞĚ Ă ƉƵƉƉǇ ďŽƌŶ ŝŶ KĐƚŽďĞƌ ϮϬϭϵ͕ ͞EĂƌĂ //͘͟ dŚĞ ŵĂůĞ ǇĞůůŽǁ >ĂďƌĂĚŽƌZĞƚƌŝĞǀĞƌŝƐŝŶƚŚĞŚŽŵĞŽĨĂǀŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌƉƵƉƉǇƌĂŝƐĞƌ in California, who is providing the care and training needed to help Nara II become a high-skilled assistance companion animal that will enrich someone’s life. The trainer is supplying updates on the puppy’s progress as he works toward becoming a perfectly matched service dog for an individual in need. Upon reaching the age of 18 months, Nara II will start his professional training at CCI’s Southwest regional campus in DĂǇ͘dŚĂŶŬƐƚŽŚŝƐĞǆĐĞĞĚŝŶŐůǇŚĂŶĚƐŽŵĞůŽŽŬƐ͕EĂƌĂ//ŝƐĂ ŵŽƐƚƉŽƉƵůĂƌďŽǇŝŶƚŚĞŶĞŝŐŚďŽƌŚŽŽĚĂŶĚŚĂƐƐĞƩůĞĚĚŽǁŶ enough to learn almost every command. He has mastered ͞ŽƵƚ͟ ĂŶĚ ͞ďĂĐŬ͕͟ ůŽǀĞƐ ŚŝƐ ǁĂůŬƐ ĂŶĚ ĞĂƌůǇ ŵŽƌŶŝŶŐ ũŽŐƐ͕ cuddles with his trainer’s granddaughter, and either snuggles with the other household dog or chases him around the house. Study Shows Service Dogs help Veterans The results of an important research study completed ďǇƚŚĞĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚŽĨsĞƚĞƌĂŶƐīĂŝƌƐ;sͿƐŚŽǁƐƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐĨƌŽŵƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐƐĨŽƌǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐǁŝƚŚƉŽƐƚͲƚƌĂƵŵĂƟĐ stress disorder (PTSD). The results showed veterans paired ǁŝƚŚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ĚŽŐƐ ƐŚŽǁĞĚ ůĞƐƐ ƐƵŝĐŝĚĂů ŝĚĞĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ improvement in mental health than those paired with ĞŵŽƟŽŶĂůƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĚŽŐƐ͘ x dŚĞ s ĞƐƟŵĂƚĞƐ ϮϬʹϯϬ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ ŽĨ ǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐ ůŝǀĞ with PTSD. x According to the VA Suicide Prevention Annual Report, nearly 18 service members take their own lives each day as a result of these internal scars. x Despite the prevalence of PTSD within the veteran ƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ͕ƌĞůĂƟǀĞƚŽŽƚŚĞƌŵĞŶƚĂůŚĞĂůƚŚĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶƐ͕ ĞǆŝƐƟŶŐƚƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚƐƚĞŶĚƚŽďĞůĞƐƐĞīĞĐƟǀĞ͘ x Veterans also die by suicide at a rate 50 percent ŚŝŐŚĞƌƚŚĂŶƚŚĞŶŽŶͲǀĞƚĞƌĂŶĂĚƵůƚƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ͘ /͕ƚŚĞĮƌƐƚĂŶĚůĂƌŐĞƐƚƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌŽĨƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐƐ͕ǁĂƐŽŶĞ ŽĨƚŚƌĞĞŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƟŽŶƐƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚƚŽƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞŝŶƚŚĞsƐƚƵĚǇĂƐ ĂƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌŽĨƚƌĂŝŶĞĚƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĂŶĚĞŵŽƟŽŶĂůƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĚŽŐƐ͕ĂŶĚ at the conclusion of the study in 2018, was the last provider ŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƟŽŶƐƟůůŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚ͘KǀĞƌƚŚĞĐŽƵƌƐĞŽĨƚŚĞĨŽƵƌͲǇĞĂƌ study, CCI placed a total of 99 dogs with veterans with PTSD. “The importance of this study cannot be overstated, ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůǇĨŽƌƚŚĞǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐƐĞĞŬŝŶŐŚĞůƉĨŽƌƐǇŵƉƚŽŵƐŽĨWd^͕͟ ƐĂŝĚĂŶŝŶĞŽŵƉĂŶŝŽŶƐŚŝĞĨǆĞĐƵƟǀĞKĸĐĞƌWĂŝŐĞDĂǌǌŽŶŝ͘ ͞^ĞƌǀŝĐĞ ĚŽŐƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ Ă ƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚ ƚŚĞƌĂƉĞƵƟĐ ďĞŶĞĮƚ ĨŽƌ ǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐǁŝƚŚWd^͘͟ ĂƐĞĚŽŶƚŚĞƉŽƐŝƟǀĞƐƚƵĚǇĮŶĚŝŶŐƐ͕ƚŚĞsǁŝůůĂůůŽǁ veterans with PTSD and other mental health diagnoses to be ĞůŝŐŝďůĞĨŽƌƚŚĞsƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐǀĞƚĞƌŝŶĂƌǇŝŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞďĞŶĞĮƚ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚĂůƐŽĐŽǀĞƌƐĞƋƵŝƉŵĞŶƚĂŶĚƚƌĂǀĞůĞǆƉĞŶƐĞƐĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞĚ with service dog ownership. Although the VA has long provided ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĨŽƌƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐƐĨŽƌǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐǁŝƚŚĐĞƌƚĂŝŶ ƉŚǇƐŝĐĂůĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶƐ͕ƚŚĞƵŶƐĞĞŶǁŽƵŶĚƐŽĨǁĂƌĂŶĚƚŚĞƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ dogs that can assist with those wounds through physical tasks, ĚŝĚŶŽƚŐĂƌŶĞƌŝƚƐƐƵƉƉŽƌƚƵŶƟůŶŽǁ͘ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐƐĂƌĞƚƌĂŝŶĞĚŝŶWd^ͲŵŝƟŐĂƟŶŐƚĂƐŬƐ͕ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ƚƵƌŶŝŶŐ ŽŶ ůŝŐŚƚƐ͕ ĐƌĞĂƟŶŐ Ă ďƵīĞƌ ŝŶ ƉƵďůŝĐ͕ ĂŶǆŝĞƚǇ͕ ĂŶĚ ŶŝŐŚƚŵĂƌĞŝŶƚĞƌƌƵƉƟŽŶ͘sƐƚƵĚǇƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂŶƚƐǁĞƌĞŐŝǀĞŶƚŚĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚǇƚŽƚƌĂŶƐŝƟŽŶƚŽĨŽƌŵĂů/ŐƌĂĚƵĂƚĞƐĂŌĞƌƚŚĞǇ ĞǆŝƚĞĚƚŚĞϭϴͲŵŽŶƚŚƐƚƵĚǇŽďƐĞƌǀĂƟŽŶƉĞƌŝŽĚ͕ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞǁŝƚŚ free ongoing follow up services. VA study personnel shared that, “Canine Companions demonstrated the highest level of ĞǆƉĞƌƟƐĞŝŶƉĂŝƌŝŶŐƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĚŽŐƐǁŝƚŚǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐĂŶĚŚĂƐŐĂŝŶĞĚ ĞǆƚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶƚĞƌĂĐƟŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐ ǁŝƚŚ Wd^͕ ǁŚŽ ĐĂŶ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƉĂŝƌŝŶŐ ƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞƐ and pairing strategies. They are a trusted leader in the service ĚŽŐĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ͘͟ >ĞĂƌŶ ŵŽƌĞ ĂďŽƵƚ /͛Ɛ sĞƚĞƌĂŶƐ /ŶŝƟĂƟǀĞ Ăƚ ĐĐŝ͘ŽƌŐͬ veterans, and follow Nara II’s progress at nara.org/media/ nara-blog. R 46 April 2021 Render www.rendermagazine.com /veterans /veterans /www.rendermagazine.com /nara-blog /nara-blog