NEWBERRY — The American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 24 presented Jo Anne and John Creed with a check for $2,000 for their Battle Buddies program.

The program trains service dogs for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries, allowing veterans to regain physical and emotional independence.

The Creeds started Battle Buddies in 2012, John Creed is a disabled Marine veteran and their oldest son serves in the Army. After training mobility dogs for years, the Creeds saw the need for service dogs in South Carolina for veterans who were suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injuries.

“We didn’t really know much about PTSD or how bad it’s gotten and all of the symptoms, we were shocked when started realizing that 22 veterans commit suicide a day due to PTSD and traumatic brain injuries in this country, we said we have to do something,” said Jo Anne Creed.

Battle Buddies started with one puppy name Camouflage, she was trained as a full service dog. Creed said they do not charge the veteran for the service dog, instead they raise funds all year long, she said it takes at least $3,000 to train each dog.

The dogs start out at about eight weeks old, they start by teaching the dogs how to use the bathroom and then move on to basic obedience and block and cover (PTSD commands).

“They help pick up on anxiety attacks and when out in crowds they are taught block and cover, block (protect the front, if people get too close to them) and cover (at the ATM or bank or ordering something, they watch your six) which is what your Battle Buddy would do in the military,” Creed said.

She added the service dogs work great in crowds and they train the dogs to get used to elevators, escalators and modes of transportation, saying if the dog is calm, the veteran will be calm.

Jonas Piester, also a veteran, said his service dog Cole helps him daily whenever he has bad migraines, waking him when he has bad dreams or helping him find his wife if he gets lost in a crowd.

“Most of the veterans have PTSD or traumatic brain injuries, so we try to customize the dog to veteran, if it’s a bad injury, migraines or things like that, but it’s not always possible,” Creed said.

She said they usually have around four dogs at a time and have puppy raisers who volunteer and take the dogs to obedience school.

The service dogs, a proven recovery tool for PTSD, meet all standards for assistance dogs in public access and relating tests for public access.

For more information on Battle Buddies, visit www.battlebuddiessc.org or call (864)-404-8888, Battle Buddies is also on Facebook and Instagram.

From left to right: Jonas Piester, John Creed and Jo Anne Creed talk about Battle Buddies, whose mission is to train service dogs for veterans suffering PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Sitting, from left to right: Piester’s service dog Cole and Creed’s service dog Swayze.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Battle2.jpgFrom left to right: Jonas Piester, John Creed and Jo Anne Creed talk about Battle Buddies, whose mission is to train service dogs for veterans suffering PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Sitting, from left to right: Piester’s service dog Cole and Creed’s service dog Swayze. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 24 presented Jo Anne and John Creed, center, with a check for $2,000 for their Battle Buddies program. Sitting, from left to right: Jonas Piester and his service dog Cole, Jo Anne Creed and John Creed with his service dog Swayze. They are pictured with members of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 24.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Battle1.jpgThe American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 24 presented Jo Anne and John Creed, center, with a check for $2,000 for their Battle Buddies program. Sitting, from left to right: Jonas Piester and his service dog Cole, Jo Anne Creed and John Creed with his service dog Swayze. They are pictured with members of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 24. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

By Kelly Duncan

kduncan@newberryobserver.com

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-768-3123 ext. 1868 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.