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BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Twin Cities Army veteran Carl Ringberg, like many veterans, suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 11-20% of men and women who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom suffer from it.
Carl eventually found a solution.
"They put me on different pills, take this one, well that didn't work, take this one that wouldn't work. So I decided on my own to find another tool to help me cope with PTSD and that's where Jed came in."
Jed is a loveable, six-year-old golden retriever that had been going through his own troubles.
"Jed wasn't going to get placed with Helping Paws; he was kind of dealing with separation anxiety," said Carl.
Now, they don't have to go it alone.
"When I found him it was kind of a perfect fit because I needed that constant attention, that constant touch and so did he. So we became one right off the bat," he explained.
It is a relationship that allows Carl to be of service to others in the American Legion and the Wounded Warrior Project. Because when we lend a helping hand, or a helping paw, we are never alone.