By Krys Estes
Intern
When David Nilson was a Marine serving in Afghanistan, he learned firsthand the benefits of working with a service dog. Now, as a student on Cape Fear Community College’s downtown Wilmington campus, he is educating his fellow students about exactly how dogs can help veterans and other members of the community.
“I think service dogs serve a dual purpose on a college campus, especially if someone had a bad day, sometimes seeing a dog turns it around,” Nilson said.
To fulfill part of his educational psychology course, Nilson put together informational sessions about service dogs as part of a 10-hour service-learning project, which he delivered to students and visitors throughout November and December.
To help with the sessions, Nilson turned to his old friend. After he retired, Nilson adopted Sonny, the explosives detector dog that he served with while in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He explained service dogs are required to serve a specific purpose, either mentally or physically, for someone disabled who needs help with the direct response of the dog, which will then provide immediate help for the handler.
“His job was to search for military-grade explosives and home explosives and to go out there and make an area safe,” Nilson said. “I think to get a service dog is beneficial for any veteran with a disability such as post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious medical conditions.”
Service dogs are also known to help with suicide prevention, especially with veterans. Nilson cited a report from the National Journal that highlighted U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics showing an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day, resulting in approximately 8,030 lost veteran lives each year.
“The dog can really comfort you and either revert dangerous thoughts or prevent suicidal thoughts,” Nilson said. “Suicide prevention is a big awareness focus we had last month. We carry out the tradition and go out to really connect with our fellow brothers and sisters to make sure they are OK.”
Nilson said his goal is to earn a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and afterward, to find ways to connect to the community. One way may be to create a program in other schools where more people can learn about the benefits of having a service dog.
He said many people don’t have a fully understand service dogs and how they react with other people. For instance, many people will try to pet service dogs, though that can interrupt with the dog’s mission for its handler.
“I wanted people to know the ins and outs about service dogs, what to do and what not to do, their rights and get feedback on what others thought assistant dogs might be,” Nilson said.
