LONDON, Ont. -- Comfort, companionship, and therapy. Those are the roles a service dog can play in the lives of those suffering from PTSD or other health conditions.
Now a local police officer is organizing a comedy show to raise money for fully trained service dogs for others going through what he’s gone through.
An active London police officer and military veteran, Andrew Gough suffers from PTSD, brought on by his experiences serving in Tripoli, Libya in 2014.
He says he would never be able to get through the day-to-day without his service dog Riggs, a four-year-old white shepherd.
“He senses my emotions. He picks up for me my surroundings,” said Gough.
“Another thing that he'll do if I'm feeling nervous or anxious, he'll actually give me his paw, you know like he wants me to hold his hand. He leans up against me as well, especially if we're in crowds.”
Gough is organizing a comedy show in hopes of raising $40,000 to acquire service dogs for a close family friend who has epilepsy, and a retired London police officer and veteran who also suffers from PTSD.
“There are free programs out there and I think that they are doing amazing things, but the need for dogs is greater than the supply,” says Gough.
Comedy It's For The Dogs takes place Nov. 16 at Union Ten Distillers on Dundas Street.
