Takoda Service Dogs Offers Healing, Hope for Veterans

This Hudson Valley non-profit is dedicated to helping veterans and first responders get service dogs at no cost to them.

For Hudson Valley based non-profit Takoda Service Dogs, the belief that man’s best friend has the potential to help veterans and first responders suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the ultimate guiding principal. The organization, founded in 2017, was created with an honorable mission in mind: to provide this “underserved group,” as Founder and CEO Sherry Burger referred to them, with the opportunity to get a professionally trained service dog at no cost. 

“Our main focus is really to make sure they get these dogs for free – so they don’t have to fundraise, and that takes away a lot of the pressure of getting the help,” Burger said.

According to an early 2018 study completed by Purdue University, the impact of having a service dog for veterans with PTSD is tangible. The study “…looked at psychological symptoms in veterans with a service dog to those who were waitlisted to get one. The veterans who had a service dog reported significantly fewer symptoms of PTSD and better scores for psychological well-being, coping skills, and other measures of well-being,” said Psychology Today.

Burger has worked with dogs in various situations and ways over a span of 20 years and has seen how impactful they can be in the therapeutic capacity. Her experience landed her the role of lead service dog trainer at her previous organization before she decided to start Takoda and begin tackling this mission independently. Burger’s years of training allowed her the opportunity to train dogs for people with various conditions and abilities. However, ultimately Burger knew that the work she felt she was called to do could only be achieved by creating an organization of her own.

Burger cited a specific incident as the impetus for founding Takoda Service Dogs: at her previous job, she crossed paths with a young veteran around the age of 26. This young man, according to Burger, was suffering from “severe PTSD” and completed an interview with the organization Burger formerly worked at in hopes of getting a service dog.

“He came by himself [to the interview], he didn’t have anybody with him, and his life pretty much consisted of being in his bedroom all day and then he would leave his bedroom at night and go to the local bar and drink himself into oblivion and then he would go back into his bedroom and that’s where he would stay,” she explained. “He was desperate to be able to get out of his house and be productive and do something. He thought the dog would help him do that. He was told he had to raise $25,000 to get that dog.”

For Burger, it was clear that it was “not even remotely possible” for the young man to raise these funds, as he was unable to leave his house during the day due to his experience with PTSD. The financial burden rendered this young veteran unable to get a service dog. Within six months of his interview, according to Burger, he died by suicide.

“It was a changing point for me,” she said. “Even though I had only spent an hour with this person, it affected me so deeply. It was such a terrible loss for me. Even though I didn’t really know him, I just felt like I had this gift to be able to do this work, and that it wasn’t reaching the right people.” Burger left the organization she was working at prior, and created Takoda, where veterans could get service dogs for free.

 “I didn’t have any control where I was – being able to help someone like him who really needed it, that was out of my control because I could not waive away the fee,” she said. Today, Burger has complete control over being able to help the veterans who she comes in contact with, and has the opportunity to offer eligible candidates a service dog with no cost.

But Takoda isn’t simply an organization that connects veterans with service dogs; it offers a robust curriculum and training session that is focused on helping both the veteran adjust and also having a dog. At Takoda, “the dog picks the veteran,” and a bonding process begins. After this, the veterans who are working with Burger pick a weekly time for training and lectures, of which there are about 12. These lectures cover the essentials – including how a dog learns, how to teach a dog to do something new, how to groom them, how to keep them healthy, public safety, and more.

Burger and a service dog. Courtesy of Sherry Burger.

“We like to have at least four [students],” Burger said. “We get our referrals right now directly through the VA Hospital.”  

The process takes about 18 months, and ultimately allows veterans to form a meaningful emotional connection to their service dog.

Marist Associate Professor of English Tommy Zurhellen is a former Navy nuclear electrician and has dedicated much of his life to raising awareness for veteran mental health and veteran homelessness. He recently completed a walk across the United States to garner attention for these issues. According to Zurhellen, an organization like Takoda is impactful for veterans.

“Veterans and First Responders often experience repeated trauma over their careers, and the occurrence of PTSD and other mental health issues in these cases is under-reported. Often traditional therapy methods don't help because of the stigma attached to seeking help as a sign of ‘weakness,’” Zurhellen said. “That's why a program like Takoda Service Dogs is so important for our veterans and first responders. It allows these folks experiencing mental health issues to form an emotional bond with a service animal, on their own terms.”

Zurhellen added that, for students who are interested in assisting with veteran issues, there are a wide range of local opportunities.

“A great place to start is the organization we created at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post in Poughkeepsie called VetZero. We work with local nonprofits like Hudson River Housing and the Vet 2 Vet Program to help local veterans with homelessness, mental health issues, and other issues,” he said.

According to Zurhellen, students can also make an impact in another way.

“You can help our veterans by just sharing information on social media,” he said. “Raising awareness on the issues of veteran mental health and veteran suicide is a great first step.”

 Takoda also offers volunteer opportunities for students that fit their interests. Roles in which students may complete as volunteers vary.

“Like any organization, we need people to help with fundraising, we need people to volunteer to take care of the dogs,” Burger said. “Taking dogs on the weekend is huge, taking dogs for walks…but also, we need people who have a knack for fundraising. We’d like to sit down and talk to them about…what ideas they have and what we can do to help facilitate that to get involved.”

Courtesy of Sherry Burger.

Ashley Jordan, a senior business major with a minor in criminal justice at Marist, is currently working with Burger in her quest to help veterans. Jordan originally heard of the organization when her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, did an event with Takoda during the spring 2019 semester, and is currently working on her Honors Senior Thesis project which is centered around helping Takoda in various capacities. “Then [after the spring 2019 event] I kind of just kept in contact…and I always had it in the back of my head that I wanted to work with them because it is such a great organization,” said Jordan.

The work that she has done has been largely around volunteerism. This has allowed Jordan to gain experience in recruitment of volunteers, as well as other facets of running an organization – valuable skills for her to learn all while helping Burger with an excellent, worthy cause.

 “I’ve been coordinating pretty much all the aspects about the volunteers,” Jordan said. “So yes, I’ve seen all areas of recruitment, from scheduling them, even driving some of the freshmen back and forth [to socialize with the dogs] who don’t have cars. So I’m doing that, and then I’m going to be volunteering myself, and then also helping them in aspects of marketing and publicity.”

Jordan noted that students interested in volunteering can reach out to her or access the volunteer page on Takoda’s website. The opportunities for volunteers vary, and there is something for everyone.

For Jordan, it is touching to see how the organization impacts veterans, and also finds herself inspired by Burger and her unyielding passion to helping veterans.

“It is really touching to me that she [Burger] has dedicated her life to this cause,” said Jordan. “She’s such a good person, and the work that she’s doing is helping so many people and really changing lives.”