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60 | SIGNATURE MONTANA Dee De looks for a variety of specific traits when she evaluates whether or not a dog could be a good candidate for the DTB program, including how they respond to food, touch, loud noises, other animals, and other stimuli. e dogs she rescues then go to the Billings training site for an average of 30 to 60 days, where professional trainers work with them to further evaluate their potential. Meanwhile, veterans interested in working as a team with a rescue dog have their own lengthy application process, including a dive into their medical and mental health histories, disability struggles, job, family structure, and overall lifestyle. "You're training the humans, not the dogs. When you come into this program, I have a high responsibility not just to the veteran, but also to the dog, who deserves to be loved and cared for," Dee De explains. "e human has to be commied to the work. e dog does not learn a skill and have it down pat in just one location – they need to be able Dee De formed Dog Tag Buddies (DTB), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, in 2015 with the goal of partnering rescue dogs with military veterans who have disabilities in order to help both team members to live more purposeful, fulfilling lives. is program is provided to veterans at no cost and is fully funded through grants and donations, right down to dog bowls, leashes, collars, and crates. Dee De established close relationships with multiple animal shelters and rescues and is constantly seeking suitable canine candidates who she believes have the potential to become full-fledged service animals. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), "service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." e specific tasks they're trained to carry out depend on the individual needs of their human partners, and oen include things like medication reminders, opening doors, alerting and protecting a person who is experiencing a seizure, pulling a wheelchair, waking people from nightmares, and calming people with PTSD during an anxiety aack, among others. What is Dog Tag Buddies? Assembling the Team Service dogs are commonly confused with emotional support or companion dogs, but there are pronounced differences. In fact, the ADA notes that "dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA." Not all the dogs the DTB program works with end up becoming service animals. Some DTB teams are satisfied once the dog has become a well-trained companion animal –an invaluable achievement in its own right. Other teams continue with even more specific training. "Service dogs are medical equipment," Dee De explains. "ey are specifically trained to mitigate the signs and symptoms of a disability." e difference in designation between service animals and emotional support or companion animals is so important, misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is now a criminal offense in Montana. Photo by Eric Visocan Photo by Eric Visocan Photo by Eric Visocan Dee De Baker has a keen eye for prospective service animals. Military veterans teach their canine partners with the help of skilled trainers. A well-trained service animal is a priceless asset for its human partner.