A group of local volunteers has raised more than $85,000 for a program that trains service dogs to help veterans and first responders coping with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Peter Warrack and his wife, Bonita Cawker-Warrack, helped organize the fundraiser Paws for Heroes this fall, along with Dorothy-Soo Wiens, with funds going to the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit.

The couple said the fundraiser far exceeded expectations.

“Initially, we were planning on hoping to raise enough funds — $30,000 — to basically select, train and fund the lifetime training of a dog,” Warrack said. “After the event, we realized we’re tracking towards three dogs now.”

A service dog costs about $25,000 to $30,000 to raise, train and provide, the unit says. The event raised enough for two service dogs, but the organizers need another $5,000 to fund a third and hope the community can help.

The Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit says service dogs can help people establish routines, interrupt nightmares and support emotional openness.

For Warrack, the cause is personal. He served in the British Army and later in the police during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a conflict that spanned from the late 1960s until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Paramilitary groups on both sides carried out sporadic attacks. In total, the conflict killed 3,600 people and injured more than 30,000.

“I lost a lot of colleagues,” Warrack said. “I’ve seen a lot of horror.”

Cawker-Warrack said moving to Canada in 2002 “helped a lot.” She said he is “much better now.”

“It wasn’t easy,” she said.

Warrack does not use a dog himself, but said having a trained dog available for comfort and support can make a meaningful difference for people coping with the condition.

“The dog gives a bond, something to calm them down,” he said.

The unit says 20 per cent of Canadian veterans develop a mental health disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety.

The Mayo Clinic describes post-traumatic stress disorder as a condition “that’s caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event — either being part of it or witnessing it.”

Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts about the event, it states.

Paws for Heroes took place on Nov. 1 with money from the Rotary and Lions clubs. The event included live music, a silent auction and food.

Warrack said people can support the cause by donating to the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit at canadahelps.org/en/dn/131378.

daniel@niagaranow.com