{"id":8195,"date":"2024-06-29T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-29T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8195"},"modified":"2024-06-29T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T18:30:00","slug":"clinic-staff-member-lends-a-helping-dog-paw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8195","title":{"rendered":"Clinic \u201cstaff member\u201d lends a helping dog paw"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-06-29T18:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Grover, the newest staff member, wakes up, excited to go to work. He greets everyone in the office with a dogly wag of his tail, inspects a few breakfast items and checks if physical therapy has any new balls to steal.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a>
\u201cHe brings joy to the staff and Veterans.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Grover is Marine Corps Veteran David Wilsman\u2019s service dog-in-training, a 16-month-old Great Pyrenees-Poodle mix.<\/p>\n

Wilsman, a registered nurse with the Kankakee Clinic<\/a>, began bringing Grover to work when they were matched in March, and now the employees joke that Grover is a part of the staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe kind of brought the team together,\u201d said clinic nurse manager Sharaine James. \u201cHe brings joy to the staff and Veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilsman served in the 1991 Gulf War as a Marine Corps infantryman, was honorably discharged in 1992 for injuries sustained while in the service and joined the Reserve in 1996. Then, in 2000, he suffered head, back and neck injuries in a head-on Humvee collision. While preparing to deploy in 2001, he further exacerbated the previous injuries while moving heavy weapons. This caused him to experience issues with his back and neck for years, but he didn\u2019t know he was eligible for a service dog.<\/p>\n

After transferring to the Kankakee clinic from Edward Hines Jr. VA<\/a> last year, Wilsman learned he might qualify for a service dog.\u00a0A social worker at the clinic told him about Very Important Pooches Service Dog Foundation, a non-profit charity organization that trains and places service and emotional support dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s strong as an ox.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Due to his mobility struggles, Wilsman needed a large, strong dog. That\u2019s when the foundation introduced him to Grover. \u201cHe\u2019s strong as an ox,\u201d said Wilsman.<\/p>\n

While his strength was a given, Wilsman wasn\u2019t expecting the friendly disposition of Grover.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s more social than most therapy dogs. It\u2019s a treat for him to meet a patient at the end of a visit. I was recently laid up in bed for three days. He never left my side. It was great having him there to help me the whole time,\u201d Wilsman said, noting that he also wants to help other Veterans find their own four-legged assistants. \u201cI\u2019m very lucky to have him. It\u2019s important to me to have him with me when I see patients because I\u2019m raising awareness of the opportunities for service dogs and the availability of veterinary insurance for service dogs through VA.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VA nurse qualified for a service dog from the Very Important Pooches Service Dog Foundation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nClinic \u201cstaff member\u201d lends a helping dog paw - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VA nurse qualified for a service dog from the Very Important Pooches Service Dog Foundation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8195\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clinic \u201cstaff member\u201d lends a helping dog paw - 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