Bravehound is a Scottish charity that supports former servicemen, women and their families.[1][2][3] They provide training and dogs to support veterans, some of whom have post-traumatic stress, other mental health issues as well as physical injury. Weekly individual and group training sessions are provided free of charge.[4][5][6] Bravehound is funded by the Chancellor using Libor funds, The Covenant Trust Fund and public fundraising initiatives.[7]
Bravehound's first dog Irma was paired with a veteran of 22 years military service. At the 2017 Animal Hero Awards Irma received the prize for 'Caring Animal Of The Year'.[15][16]
In January 2019 Bravehound founder and CEO Fiona MacDonald was chosen by UK Prime Minister Theresa May for a Points of Light Award which recognises "outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community".[19][20]
In April 2019 Bravehound won the Soldiering On Award for animal partnership; The Soldiering On Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of those who have served their country, and the diverse people and groups who work together in support of the Armed Forces Community.[21][22]
Bravehound and Robert Hewings (ex-police dog handler and the Parachute Regiment) are working on a research project that involves training dogs to recognise the scent of nightmares. The charity works with Hewings, studying how dogs can be taught to sniff out a nightmare, when veterans may give off a scent of extra cortisol, adrenaline and sweat. Dogs can be taught to intervene when veterans are having anxiety attacks, which may be linked to the scent of added cortisol release, leading the dogs to wake them, jump onto their lap or seek attention to calm them down. In an interview, Hewing explained:[26][27][28][29]
When that scent of a nightmare sparks a thought process in the dog, so the scent of the nightmare becomes the antecedent - something that makes the dog do something - the behaviour. The dog gently gets up onto the veteran’s chest and gently licks their neck or does whatever we have trained the dog to do to appease the veteran.
2017 'Caring Animal Of The Year' at the Animal Hero Awards. 2017 UK's 'Best Voluntary/Charity Project' in the National Lottery Awards. 2019 Points of Light Award
2019 Soldiering On Awards 2019 (Animal Partnership)
^"Discovering Glen Art". Creative Scotland (Executive NDPB of the Scottish Government). 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
^"A Night To Remember". Glen Art memorial service at St Dunstan-in-the-West (video). 11 November 2015.
