PTSD dog and veteran help each other overcome troubles

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.