COMMUNITY HOUNDS FOR HEALING
MAN’S BEST FRIEND The Hounds 4 Healing assistance dogs program is equipping war veterans to battle post-traumatic stress disorder.
When Matt Campbell was emergency evacuated from Afghanistan, he arrived home in Townsville to find a black-and-white ball of fluff eagerly awaiting his arrival. “Bobby was meant to be a welcome home present at the end of my deployment but that was cut short when I was involved in an IED incident,” says Matt, who was serving as a Section Commander with B Squadron 3/4 Cav at the time. “I couldn’t go back to work due to the physical injuries and then the mental injuries (post-traumatic stress disorder) started to kick in. Bobby became my constant companion and I was reliant on her to help me brave the outside world. “But when I tried to get her qualified as an assistance dog, I struggled to find support. That’s when I realised North Queensland needed its own assistance dog program and I formulated a plan to start Hounds 4 Healing.” Born out of Matt’s need to have Bobby by his side, Hounds 4 Healing was established in 2014 with Bobby earning badge number 001. “We now have 13 fully qual-
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ified assistance dogs able to travel on planes, trains and ferries with another 30 in the various stages of training,” Matt says, thanks to donations from the North Queensland public, local businesses and organisations such as Page & Pearce, the Thuringowa Rotary Club and various sporting groups. “We can supply dogs as well as helping veterans and emergency services personnel train their own dogs. Assistance dogs act as an earthing rod, helping veterans pluck up the courage to go out in public again. They bring back structure and routine to our lives.” Matt and Bobby, along with other Hounds 4 Healing success stories, were a big hit with attendees of the 2017 Inaugural Australasian Mental Health and Higher Education Conference last year. They will be attending the second conference at James Cook University’s Townsville campus on Friday July 6 and Saturday July 7. “I’m excited to come back and present our results over the 12 months and share how we’ve grown as an organisation,” Matt says.
“The inaugural conference was such an awesome platform to share the Hounds 4 Healing story further afield than Townsville — I’ve kept in touch with people we met from the Northern Territory, New South Wales and New Zealand to name just a few. “As well as the general public, it was fantastic to connect with academics and medical professionals, who gave us so much support about our alternative way of helping people.”
Registrations are now open for the 2nd Australasian Mental Health and Higher Education Conference (www.jcu.edu.au/amhhec), where you’ll be able to hear more about Hounds 4 Healing and many other mental health initiatives.
CONNECT NOW www.hounds4healing.com.au
KYLIE DAVIS
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