U.S. prisons groom dogs for Iraq war veterans

[babylonsister]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070504/lf_nm/usa_prisons_dogs_dc;_ylt=AkBlWZX7LQmue0O9Xa2AcX3MWM0F

U.S. prisons groom dogs for Iraq war veterans

By Jason Szep Fri May 4, 7:16 AM ET

CRANSTON, Rhode Island (Reuters) - Edward Parent, 31, is doing 10 years at a medium-security prison here for killing a teenage girl while drunk driving. Chuck, who dozes in Parent's cell, has committed no crime.

Chuck is a Labrador retriever, one of dozens of dogs being trained by prison inmates in a fast-growing program that provides "service dogs" to help U.S. veterans who have lost arms and legs or suffered brain injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The Iraq war is going to change the whole demographics of the disabled population in this country," said Sheila O'Brien, executive director of the National Education for Assistance Dog Service (NEADS), which has trained dogs to assist people who are deaf or physically disabled since 1976.

snip//

The number of young, physically disabled U.S. veterans is surging. Already, at least 180,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have applied for disability benefits. O'Brien reckons thousands are wounded badly enough to need assistance.

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[benddem]

1. neat story

wish they'd do more for the blind vets. They have to wait as long as 2 years for their guide dogs. But I'm glad they are helping the disabled.

[WinkyDink]

2. Relatively speaking, I'm sure. "Really neat" would be NO WOUNDED VETS.