Joybound Expands Mental Health Support with Psychiatric Service Dogs

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 12, 2024--

The Joybound People & Pets Shelter to Service (S to S) program, transforms shelter dogs into psychiatric service animals for Veterans, first responders, and others managing mental health challenges. This unique initiative provides mental health support through specially trained psychiatric service dogs, offering a lifeline to those facing post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression, all at no cost to participants. The program equips shelter dogs with a renewed purpose, training them to become dedicated psychiatric service animals. Unlike many programs, Joybound’s inclusive approach focuses on impact and accessibility, prioritizing temperament, adaptability over breed, and covering all costs for participants.

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Empowering Foster Trainers and Building Skills

Joybound’s (S to S) program is now open to individuals 16+ (with parental approval), offering a unique volunteer opportunity that strengthens college applications, and has a comprehensive curriculum that helps young adults build essential skills. For those pursuing a career in animal wellness, or looking for a career pivot, the program also offers resources for the CPDT-KA certification, empowering trainers with skills that make a lasting impact in mental health support. Foster trainers play a crucial role, working hands-on with shelter dogs for 15 weeks to ready them for service. Joybound provides full support, including all essential supplies, full veterinary support, a weekly transportation stipend, and 75 hours of training.

Vital Support for Mental Health

Psychiatric service dogs are essential companions for those facing mental health conditions, offering support through personalized tasks such as providing comfort during anxiety episodes, medication reminders, and interrupting harmful behaviors. By supporting these individuals in their daily lives, service dogs promote independence, stability, and confidence, enabling them to engage more fully in their communities.

Strengthening Community Connections

Joybound’s (S to S) program extends beyond traditional service dog training by building a compassionate community. The dogs act as bridges, helping reduce stigma around mental health and fostering understanding through the human-animal bond. Joybound’s mission is to create an inclusive space where individuals feel valued, understood, and supported.

Get an inside look at the Shelter to Service journey, from shelter dog to psychiatric service companion; contact us for interviews with trainers, recipients, and program leaders.

Diego Arias and his Psychiatric Service dog Astra (Photo: Business Wire)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who worked for the U.S. government has been charged with leaking classified information assessing Israel's earlier plans to attack Iran, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

The man, identified as Asif William Rahman, was arrested by the FBI this week in Cambodia and was due to make his first court appearance in Guam.

He was indicted last week in U.S. court in Virginia on two counts of willful transmission of national defense information — felony charges that can carry significant prison sentences.

It was not immediately clear whether Rahman had a lawyer or which federal agency employed him, but officials say he had a top-secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information.

The charges stem from the documents, attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, appearing last month on a channel of the Telegram messaging app. The documents noted that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

Israel carried out a retaliatory attack on multiple sites in Iran in late October.

The documents were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The emergence of the documents triggered an FBI investigation that examined how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised. Officials also worked to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted.

The New York Times was first to report his arrest.

FILE - The FBI's J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building is seen in Washington on Nov. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - The FBI seal is pictured in Omaha, Neb., Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)