Myrtle Beach group works to help veterans and law enforcement cope with PTSD
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach nonprofit group is doing its part to help military veterans and law enforcement officers who live with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The group, Joint Task Force K9s, trains service dogs to help lower cortisol levels, which can increase as a result of persistent exposure to stressful situations. The goal is to help those with PTSD get back into the community.
Founder Keith Holland said the service dog he received three years ago saved his life.
"I had a suicide attempt on active duty at 18.5 years in as a Green Beret," Holland said. "This is my way of giving back. I think this is my calling that God has given me, and I'm just thankful he's given me the skills and know-how to be able to do this with these dogs and help my brothers and sisters."
Holland explained why they train the dogs to the cortisol scent of their handlers.
"It trains the dogs to recognize stress levels going up, and as soon as they recognize that, they will come in and get a pet, and once you pet a dog your stress levels go down," he said. "You can't have a PTSD attack without stress, so our dogs are stopping about 98% of those attacks from happening."
While training the dogs to detect high cortisol levels, Holland said they will also train them and their handler to do search and rescue, bomb and narcotic detection, and executive protection.
"The most important thing is getting these guys and gals off the couch, out of their sorrow and get them back into the community doing something," Holland said. "There's nobody better than a well-trained dog and a combat veteran or law enforcement to protect others. That's what we're built to do, that's what we were made to do."
In 2022, Holland said they gave out one dog. That number grew to seven in 2023. They expected to give out nine in 2024.
"It's growing every year," he said. "We have a lot of support from the community. Our dogs really sell themselves because of the way I train them and how obedient they are and what they really do to work for the guys and gals."
If you wants to learn more or donate to Joint Task Force K9s , you can find the link here.
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Hannah Huffstickler is a multimedia journalist at News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2024 after graduating from Coastal Carolina University in December of 2023. Keep up with Hannah on Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can also read more of her work here .
