or most of us, the holidays are a time of friendly gatherings, good vibes and recollections of happy memories. Others associate this season with bouts of sadness, struck by the holiday blues, a mild-to-moderate seasonal depression. And, unfortunately, a growing number of Americans find themselves dealing with depression and other mental illnesses – all year long.

Now there’s a group whose mission is to address the problems associated with ongoing psychiatric issues with the help of some amazing dogs. The Psychiatric Service Dog Society strives to improve the lives of those who are substantially impaired by major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental illnesses.

These incredible four-legged friends are charged with remarkable tasks. Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD’s) receive training to learn how to …

• Comfort their handler during emotional distress
• Interrupt repetitive behavior, dissociative events
  or flashbacks
• Provide prompts for taking medication at specific
  times
• Search the house for prowlers and turn on lights
• Reduce their handler’s level of fear and their need  
  to be overly vigilant

If you, or someone you know, could use the vital care one of these clever canines can provide, we encourage you to contact the Psychiatric Service Dog Society for more information (www.psychdog.org).
 

We are pleased to announce the upcoming creation of the Dr. Jane HealthyPetNet Foundation, Inc. This non-profit foundation is dedicated to the promotion, establishment, maintenance and management of animal rescue groups that are committed to rescuing abused animals in the U.S.  HealthyPetNet is donating a portion of our net profit to help support the operations of this extraordinary foundation. We look forward to sharing with you more about the progress of this foundation’s formation.