On Wednesday, March 16, 2016 the Mariposa SPCA will host a FREE presentation of “How service dogs save vet’s lives” with Matthew Matlock and Willis. Matt will talk about his deployments, the difficulty of returning to normal life, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and demonstrate how his service dog, Willis, interrupts displays of stress and helps him in his daily life at Cal Berkeley. Willis was a gift from Labs for Liberty.
The presentation will be held at the Mariposa New Masonic Hall located at 5154 Jones Street in Mariposa. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program starts at 6:00 p.m. There will be light snacks and beverages. Children are welcome when accompanied by an adult.
When veterans come back from deployment, reentry into society is frequently extremely difficult. They are faced with the task of becoming human again. They have been conditioned by training and then many battles to only trust their buddies. When they try to transition into normal life they are surrounded by danger, loud noises, constant threats, hideous memories of death and dying, and no longer protected by their friends in combat. TWENTY-TWO a day find suicide the only way out of their nightmare. Ironically the one way they can relax and begin to trust again is with a service dog, a constant companion and protector.
The SPCA is presenting a program featuring one of those returning veterans, Matthew Matlock, and his dog, Willis... Read More
