County grants $20k to support veteran service dogs program

As a certified service dog trainer and dog behavior specialist, Tynia Dickson is well-versed in the positive impacts that these animals can have on a person’s well-being but an untrained dog can be a huge source of frustration. That’s why, after having faced this problem herself and created a strategy to deal with it, Dickson started the Sassy Trainer.

Dickson is also an Army veteran and she understands that the unique struggles faced by former military service members can be eased by the companionship of a professionally trained service canine. As part of her efforts, she has established the Personally Trained Service Dogs, or PTSD, program through which she aims to train veterans and their canines simultaneously, creating strong service dog teams.

“Our goal is to provide supportive and training services to veterans and their dogs with the goal of helping veterans achieve the independence, stability and confidence that comes from being partners with a service dog,” Dickson detailed.

To help boost her program, Dickson approached the Nye County Commission this month with a request for $20,000 from the county’s Veterans Services Fund. She noted that she also works with non-veterans as well but the funding she was asking for was to be used exclusively for training five local veterans and their dogs.

“I estimate the cost - just in training, not including peripheral things - is around $9,000 to $12,000 to train a service dog,” Dickson told commissioners at their Feb. 6 meeting.

As detailed in the backup information provided with the agenda item, the minimum cost to complete training, including food, treats, leashes, collars, vests and other items, is more than $10,000. That cost, depending on various factors, can rise to over $20,000.

The requested $20,000 in county funding equals $4,000 per veteran service dog team for five teams total, with the potential for in-home teams to be trained as well. The total cost for this training will range somewhere between $54,000 and $108,000 with the remainder of the expenses to be borne by Dickson’s organization as something of an in-kind grant match, she explained.

“It’s a great program,” enthused commissioner Ron Boskovich, who attended a Sassy Trainer service dog graduation last year. “It’s definitely needed.”

The need was made more than apparent by the testimony offered by one of Dickson’s students that morning, disabled veteran Lynn Cartwright. Cartwright and her dog Emma have been working with Dickson for nearly a year and they’ll be celebrating their graduation this March.

“What Emma does for me is, she carries my medicine and a lot of the things that I used to be able to carry, now that I can’t,” Cartwright said, noting that she had many physical limitations “What Tynia has done for me has helped me be able to get out and about and get my things done without having to worry about my back hurting, my neck hurting… She has been able to put a bond between me and my dog… What Tynia is doing for our community is over and above. She is there 24/7 to help us, she will take calls, she will come and help assist, this woman is amazing.”

Debbie Storts, paid client of The Sassy Trainer, said she may not be a veteran herself but she had made the trip to the meeting especially to vouch for Dickson and the PTSD program.

“I can’t speak highly enough of what Othello has done in my life,” a teary-eyed Storts stated. “I probably wouldn’t be here without my dog.”

She said Othello often assists her with mobility, yes, but she wanted to focus on what he has done for her mental health. “He also is emotionally supportive for me. On the days when I am having a bad day and I’m laying at home, feeling sorry for myself and there’s no-one beside me, he’s there. And I can only imagine with veterans, that would be even more significant. I can’t think of a more worthy cause to spend some of those dollars,” Storts asserted.

Dr. Tom Waters, a local veteran who has watched as Dickson has grown her organization, threw his support behind the request as well.

“We have an Army veteran who has a passion for training dogs and whatever they need, whatever their need is, you name it, hearing, sight, it doesn’t matter, she can train the dog for that person. That’s why they are called personally trained service dogs, they are trained personally for that individual. For the veterans that are in need, I think everyone agrees this is a way of helping veterans,” Waters declared.

The commission obviously agreed with this sentiment and the motion to approve the funding request, to be funded by the Veterans Services Fund, passed with all in favor.

This is the second round of funding provided by the Nye County Veterans Services Fund for the PTSD program. The first round was secured in 2018 with the help of Homeless Response of Nevada and with that $16,000, Dickson was able to train four veteran service dog teams as well as four in-home support teams that were not originally part of the proposal.

For more information on the Sassy Training or PTSD program visit TheSassyTrainer.com or call 513-417-1334.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com