It was 2015. David Crenshaw didn’t feel like himself. He got stressed. Little things made him nervous. He had nightmares. He felt anxious, trapped, and out of control.

    “I’d wake up in the middle of the night in pools of sweat,” he says. 

    Crenshaw had served in the U.S. Army. From 2004 to 2005, he was in a war zone in Iraq. (That’s a country in the Middle East.) His feelings reminded him of that time. “I felt like I was back in combat,” he says. 

    Crenshaw had post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. People can get PTSD after a shocking or scary event. Up to 29 percent of veterans who served in Iraq will experience PTSD. 

    Crenshaw found help: He got a service dog named Doc. Now a new law is helping other veterans get service animals.

    In 2015, David Crenshaw noticed that he wasn’t feeling like himself. He would get overly stressed, and the littlest things would make him nervous. At night, he had terrible nightmares. He felt anxious, trapped, and out of control. 

    “I’d wake up in the middle of the night in pools of sweat,” he recalls. 

    Crenshaw had served in the U.S. Army. From 2004 to 2005, he was in a war zone in Iraq, a country in the Middle East. Now his emotions were reminding him of what he had been through during that time. “I felt like I was back in combat,” he explains. 

    Crenshaw was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. People can get PTSD after a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. A study found that up to 29 percent of veterans who served in Iraq like Crenshaw will experience PTSD. 

    Crenshaw has since found help—a service dog named Doc. Now a new law is making sure other veterans can get life-changing service animals too.

    Crenshaw struggled with PTSD for years. The mental disorder can cause sadness and anger. It can cause fear too. Crenshaw felt scared in crowds. It was hard to see a movie or go to church.

    Then Crenshaw reached out to K9s For Warriors. And his life changed. The group trains shelter dogs to be service animals. In 2019, Crenshaw was paired with Doc. “I can’t imagine my life without him,” he says.

    How do service animals help people with PTSD? The dogs learn to help with specific problems. For example, many people with PTSD are easily startled. Service dogs know to alert their owner if someone is coming up from behind.

    Plus, Doc knows when something is wrong. “He throws himself in my lap and gives me hugs and kisses,” Crenshaw says. “He calms me down.”

    Crenshaw struggled with PTSD for several years. The mental disorder can cause intense sadness, fear, and anger. Crenshaw found being in crowds terrifying—which made it difficult to do normal things like going to a movie or to church.

    But Crenshaw’s life changed when he reached out to K9s For Warriors, a Florida group that trains shelter dogs to be service animals. In 2019, Crenshaw was paired with a Labrador-pointer mix named Doc. “Doc gives me purpose,” he says. “I can’t imagine my life without him.”

    How do service animals help people with PTSD? The dogs learn to help with specific problems. For example, many people with PTSD are easily startled, so the dogs can be taught to alert their owner if someone is coming up from behind.

    Plus, Doc just senses when something is wrong. “He throws himself in my lap and gives me hugs and kisses,” Crenshaw says. “He calms me down.”

    Doc changed Crenshaw’s life. That made Crenshaw want to help other veterans. He wanted them to have service dogs too.

    In 2021, Crenshaw went to Washington, D.C. He asked members of Congress to pass a new law. It was called the PAWS Act. That stands for Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act.

    The law went into effect last year. Under the law, veterans with PTSD can help train service dogs. The dogs learn how to wake someone having a bad dream. They learn other skills too. Each veteran can adopt the dog they helped train.

    Before, only some veterans could get service dogs through the government. They usually had to have a physical impairment, like a lost limb or blindness. Mental disorders like PTSD didn’t count. “The PAWS Act is a win for veterans,” Crenshaw says.

    After getting to know Doc, Crenshaw was inspired. Being paired with Doc had changed his life, and now he wanted other veterans with PTSD to have their lives changed by a service dog.

    So in 2021, Crenshaw went to Washington, D.C., and urged members of Congress to pass the PAWS Act into law. PAWS stands for Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act.

    The law, which went into effect last year, allows veterans with PTSD to help train service dogs. The dogs learn special skills, like how to wake someone having a bad dream. Each veteran can then adopt the dog they helped train.

    Before, only certain veterans could get service dogs through the government. They usually had to have a physical impairment, like a lost limb or blindness. Mental disorders like PTSD didn’t count. “The PAWS Act is a win for veterans,” Crenshaw says.

    It’s been about four years since Doc became a part of Crenshaw’s life. Today the dog is always with him. Doc sits by Crenshaw at his kids’ soccer games. He joins him at the grocery store. He trots next to him on runs. 

    Crenshaw now works with K9s For Warriors. He shares how service dogs can help veterans. He says Doc made him want to help others.

    “The credit belongs to Doc,” he says. “I’m just the guy at the opposite end of the leash.” 

    Crenshaw got Doc about four years ago. These days, the dog is always with him. Doc sits by Crenshaw at his kids’ soccer games. He joins him at the grocery store. He goes with him on runs. 

    Crenshaw now works with K9s For Warriors. He shares how service dogs can help veterans. He says Doc made him want to help others.

    “The credit belongs to Doc,” he says. “I’m just the guy at the opposite end of the leash.”

    It’s been about four years since Doc became a part of Crenshaw’s life. Today the dog is always with him. Doc sits by Crenshaw at his kids’ soccer games, joins him at the grocery store, and trots alongside him on runs. 

    Crenshaw now works with K9s For Warriors. He shares how service dogs can help veterans. He says Doc made him want to help others.

    “The credit belongs to Doc,” he says. “I’m just the guy at the opposite end of the leash.”