Vets, first responders with PTSD paired with service dogs

When Manon St-Amourneeds areminder of how she overcame her anxiety, all she has to do is give her dog Tippia pat on the head.

"She gives me the possibility to come back to reality," said St-Amour, who's been with Tippifor about 18 months. "When I panic,she will put her paw on me and she will say, 'Manon it's OK. I'mhere.It's 2015, life is good, relax.'"

The group Courageous Companions introduced Tippito St-Amour, one of about 140 veterans and first respondersthey've set up with service dogs.

Dogs rescued from shelters

The national organization has just wrapped up a training course in the Ottawa region, during which four students were paired with new animals, said Marc Lapointe, the organization's national program director.

Courageous Companions rescues dogs from shelters and trains them for between four and six months, until they're ready to help people with needs that include post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and autism, saidLapointe.

Once they've been paired up with a new owner, the results can be immediate.

"You'rea fighter in Afghanistan kicking down doors and sixmonths later you're in your bed crying like a baby," said Lapointe, a former military sniper who's had his own service dog, Sticker, for the past two and a half years.

"[Life with a]service dog is night and day."

Daniel Pelletier was a member of the Canadian infantry for 25 years, and spent the past week training with Brendan, his new service dog, teaching him to sit and socializing him by visiting grocery stores and other public spaces.

"Brendan is a very good dog,"said Pelletier."We got along right away. Inside the home, he's a very calm dog."