Yes, the headline says it all. We are headed to the Lakeway Municipal Court, where they are holding an open house. No, you don’t need a speeding ticket to attend. We are catered by Launderette of Austin, and our entertainment is The Bobby Fuller Four.
‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
JIM SALTER AP News
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After working at a crowded and dangerous internment camp in Iraq, Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O’Brien was brought home with her anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Airforce s/sgt Heather O’Brian and Albus – Photo by Nick Ingram
A bouncy labradoodle and a Kansas City-area program helped her get back on her feet.
Dogs 4 Valor, operated through the Olathe, Kansas-based organization The Battle Within, helps retired veterans and first responders work with their service dogs to manage depression, anxiety, and other challenges.
“A lot of times, the veteran with severe PTSD is homebound,” said Sandra Sindeldecker, program manager for Dogs 4 Valor. “They’re isolated. They’re very nervous. They won’t make eye contact. Some won’t leave the house at all.
The veterans and dogs graduate in six to nine months, but group gatherings continue.
There is growing evidence of the value of service dogs for veterans with PTSD. A small study published in JAMA Network Open in June looked at a program operated by K9s For Warriors. Service dogs in the program are taught to pick up a veteran’s physical signs of distress and can interrupt panic attacks and nightmares with a loving nudge.
Researchers compared 81 veterans who received service dogs with 75 veterans on the waiting list for a trained dog. After three months, PTSD symptoms improved in both groups, but the veterans with dogs saw a bigger improvement on average.
O’Brien, 40, recalled that the camp where she worked in Iraq sometimes had over 20,000 detainees. Violence and rioting were common, and it left her with severe anxiety.
“When I got out of the military, I just assumed that you’re supposed to be on edge all the time as a veteran,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien’s mother spotted the frisky lab-poodle mix on Facebook and convinced her daughter to adopt the dog she named Albus. Months later, O’Brien learned about Dogs 4 Valor, and the pair joined the program in October 2023.
O’Brien says she can now go out in public again — she even went on vacation to Branson, Missouri, “things that I never would have thought I would do really, probably ever again.”
Mark Atkinson, 38, served in Afghanistan as a corporal in the Marine Corps. He returned home with PTSD and major depressive disorder, causing sleeplessness and anxiety. He adopted Lexi, now 5, in 2020.
Lexi, a muscular cane corso breed, needed Atkinson as much as he needed her. Her previous owner had kept Lexi in chains before surrendering her. Since joining Dogs 4 Valor, the two can get out together and enjoy life.
“I don’t really like leaving the house because I’m safe there, you know?” Atkinson said. “And having Lexi has just made me get out to be more social.”
Having a group of fellow veterans facing the same challenges has also helped, Atkinson said.
“We come from the same backgrounds, different branches,” Atkinson said. “Same issues. You know, PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. And they’re all very welcoming, as well. There’s no judgment.”
O’Brien compared living with Albus to a relationship with a sometimes pushy best friend who often wants to go out.
“The best friend constantly wants to make you do things that make you nervous,” O’Brien laughed, acknowledging that it is ultimately up to her.
“I have to decide to walk out and just deal with life,” O’Brien said. “And so that has been hard. And it still is hard from time to time, but it’s it’s getting manageable.”
Some veterans said their family relationships have improved since they started the program.
“I’m able to talk, not fly off the handle and just get along with people and not be as stressed, not have as much anxiety,” Atkinson said. “Or even if I do, she (Lexi) is right there with me.”
Timothy Siebenmorgen, 61, said his relationships also are better with help from his 1-year-old American bulldog, Rosie, and Dogs 4 Valor, which he joined in July. He served in both the Marines and the Army, deploying 18 times.
Tim Siebenmorgan (left) and Rosie. Mark Atkinson and Lexi – Photo by Mark Ingram
“You’re in the military, kind of taught not to show weakness,” Siebenmorgen said. “So you figure you can tackle everything yourself, and you honestly believe that. And then you realize you can’t do it on your own.”
Veterans said the dogs and the program have given them new hope and a renewed ability to move forward.
“I got my life back,” O’Brien said.
The good news in this article is that these heroes are getting the help they need. Today’s JohnKu talks about the need for help. I hope you have a super weekend.
The ten things not to do are the same. On Veteran’s Day, do not fail to remember those veterans who served so that we all continue to enjoy our freedoms.
If you know a veteran, tell them thanks for all of us.
Today, we are attending a car show in Bee Cave at the Galleria shopping center. There were so many cars that we won’t be able to see them all, but we can look at a sample of the more interesting ones. Ten Ten of Austin is catering, and our entertainment is (who other than) Steppenwolf.
Menu
CURRIED CAULIFLOWER – shiitake, coconut, basil
KING SALMON – Japanese potato salad, smoked ikura
SHORT RIB – ume chimichurri
PORK CHOP – Japanese curry, pickled vegetables
KING CRAB LEG – chili garlic butter, micro salad
ACORN SQUASH – black garlic, pepita crumble
DUCK BREAST – Japanese turnips, cippolinis
BAVETTE 7oz
RIBEYE 14oz
NY STRIP 7oz/14oz
Jump on the bus, and let’s get rolling.
1971 Jaguar XKE
1965 AC Cobra kit car.
1957 Cadillac Hardtop coupe. Almost too long to get in one frame.
1970 Ford Bronco
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop. The first Chevy V8.
2024 McLaren 750s
1936 Ford V8 coupe
1964 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. Texas style.
1971 Dodge D 100 pickup.
2024 Ford GT 3.5 L 600 horsepower Supersport.
1957 Ford Thunderbird.
1952 MG Midget.
1934 Ford V8 coupe.
1965 Volkswagon 21 window bus.
September 1966 Introduction to 1967 model year Cougar
1960 Corvette.
1957 Ford Mustang.
1931 Buick
1941 Ford V8 Delux Coupe
1965 Corvette
That concludes the tour of the cars. Now, it is time to eat and enjoy the music. I hope you have a beautiful week.
A bright new day is underway. (Is this poetry or what?) The Coffee machine senses the need for fast service. A mere touch of the start button sets a series of machinations in motion that end with an olfactory-pleasing mug of the life-saving elixir. Understanding the memory restoration properties of Columbia’s second most lucrative export, the first sip is taken.
The clock is set for November 8th, 1924. The location is Austin, Texas, and the duration is an hour. Another sip, a pull of the plunger, and we find ourselves at the University of Texas Memorial Stadium. We are here for the first game played in the new stadium. The teams playing each other are the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears.
The crowd is estimated to be 13,500 people, and unfortunately for Texas, the Baylor team beat them 28 to 10. So, the underdog Texas team could not rise to the occasion and set a positive precedent in the new stadium. Just as happy Baylor fans were tearing down the goalposts, the alarm went off, and we were back on the couch.
I hear a text tone and see one from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with ‘under.’” Find a word that starts with “under” and use it in your post. Enjoy!
In an English safari park, keepers celebrate the arrival of a calf from the world’s most endangered antelope species, the eastern mountain bongo.
Born October 16th, first-time mom Othaya welcomed a male calf in the late afternoon. This was the first bongo calf born at Woburn Safari Park in over 10 years.
The calf’s father, Sonny – credit, Woburn Safari Park
It’s both a significant success for the park and global conservation efforts to save this species native to Kenya.
“Othaya the bongo has successfully given birth to her first calf on Wednesday afternoon. After a long labor, the large healthy male calf was born and was soon seen standing on wobbly legs in the deep bed of straw prepared for his arrival,” stated Tom Robson, Head of Reserves at the park. “Both mom and calf are doing really well.”
Sonny, the calf’s father, joined the four-strong bongo herd at the park last November and successfully mixed with the females. He wasted no time in doing his job and displayed breeding behaviors.
“The bongo is part of a crucial breeding program and we are hoping in the future our new calf will travel to another wildlife collection and start a breeding group of his own,” Robson added.
Once the mom and baby are ready, they will rejoin the rest of the bongo herd in the African Forest exhibit, where visitors will soon have the chance to see the calf in person.
The eastern mountain bongo species has been hunted almost to extinction in the wild, and with less than 100 individuals remaining, this birth is hugely important for the species’ future.
The lowland bongo, its near-cousin, is readily dispersed across the Congo region and southern West Africa and is not endangered. The mountain bongo, with its much deeper red coat, is found only on Mount Kenya.
It has been estimated that the eastern mountain bongo may go extinct within 2 decades without appropriate protections. However, several Critically Endangered species, like the West African lion, have recovered on the continent in recent years.
WATCH the story below from Africa News…
The good news in this story is the possible comeback of a species. Today’s JohnKu celebrates this accomplishment. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
