David Sharpe served in the U.S. Air Force Security Forces and was deployed shortly after the attacks of 9/11. He was confronted with many life-threatening situations as many of the soldiers are when they are deployed to hostile countries. Then after deployment, soldiers like David come home and have a hard time dealing with the normal everyday life. They are withdrawn, have outbursts, become violent and eventually end up alone. Most are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). David was diagnosed after dealing with it for 8 years. There are estimates that 18 veterans commit suicide every single day in the U.S. due to PTSD. These numbers are significant and need to change.
David Sharpe was told by a friend that maybe he needed a dog as a companion since he was alienating himself with his friends. David’s friend told him of a pit bull rescue and David went to go see what was there. What he did not realize was in that one day, it would forever change him. He saw a timid female pit bull in the corner and she would eventually come over and lick his hand but then go back to laying down. He decided her name would be Cheyenne and he took her home. She witnessed many episodes of David’s PTSD and always looked at him with her pitty-smile and tail slightly wagging. This brought David back to reality, and he soon began talking out his issues with his new pet companion. Cheyenne became his companion, therapist, confidant and his beloved pup.
David Sharpe said, “After experiencing what Cheyenne did for me I started thinking about companion animals could help our nation’s heroes heal. It was out of this relationship that I decided to start Pets2Vets (P2V).” From there he started P2V in October 2009 with the goal to help pair sheltered pets with veterans in need of a companion. David is trying to help the estimated 10-12 million veterans suffering with some form of psychological condition buy pairing them with one of the 4-5 million shelter pets that get euthanized each year. This way he is not only helping the veteran but also the pets from being euthanized. After asking David what types of animals they utilize for their services this is what he said, “All domestic animals have the ability to help heal.” Appearantly, it just depends upon the individual they are helping and their individual needs. They could be paired with a cat or dog.
“In the Washington DC area, P2V partners with Washington Animal Rescue League, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and 2 local rescues. In New York City area, P2V works with Animal Care & Control,” said David Sharpe. These rescues and shelters are the very key that helps to make this happen. They coordinate with P2V to help with pairing up a pet to a veteran. David said, “P2V currently operates in the Washington, DC, New York City, and San Diego area. It has only been through the generosity of individual donors that P2V has been able to match 35 heroes with companion animals in 18 months, has been requested by 32 different Veterans' Affairs Hospitals across the country, and has over 125 volunteers.” There are also 13 other veterans that are inpatients visiting some of the less adoptable pets at participating shelters.
They conduct events to bring awareness to P2V and the latest was at the Ritz-Carlton in Gerogetown on April 21st. It was called the “P2V Spring Soiree”. There they had a silent auction, cocktails, hor d’oeuvres and special guests. They also participated in the San Diego “Paws in the Park” event last March 27, 2011. It is with these events and the special volunteers that they can bring awareness to many. This awareness brings in the much needed donations to make all of this possible. If you would like to donate please visit this site.This help P2V provide a pet companion with a needed veteran to help them get back into society and become the person they knew they could be.
Visit YouTube to see the TIME interview of David Sharpe and you can see the changes Cheyenne has made in David’s life.
Go to the Animal Rescue Site and click the purple paw print to help feed shelter animals for FREE. In 2010 they helped to provide shelters with over 72 million bowls of food, from just a click a day from people like you.
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