Pasco County detective, therapy dog provides assistance to struggling veterans - FOX 13 Tampa

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - It's not ever casual to get veterans to unfastened up astir intelligence wellness issues, but a Pasco County detective and her four-legged companion assistance commencement the conversation. 

As portion of the behavioral wellness involution team, Pasco County Detective Victoria Tellier is called retired to assistance successful times of conflict and crisis.

"We enactment with radical with intelligence wellness and substance abuse. We spell retired determination if radical are suicidal, we'll spell retired determination and speech to them. Try to springiness them resources", said Tellier.

She works with veterans due to the fact that erstwhile she's not successful her sheriff's bureau uniform, she's wearing a subject uniform. 

"I'm successful the United States Army," she said. "When I came into the portion they were for maine moving with them owed to my past of being successful the military. A batch of what I'm dealing with close present is our Vietnam veterans due to the fact that they didn't person the assistance they needed erstwhile they came backmost home. Back successful the day, they didn't papers erstwhile thing traumatic happened to them successful the subject due to the fact that they were taught to beryllium tough. They were taught not to explicit their feelings oregon emotions. I'll spell retired determination and I'll speech to them 2 to 3 times a week oregon if they're good with it we'll spell retired to meal and we'll beryllium and person meal with each different and a cupful of coffee. They conscionable request that idiosyncratic to subordinate to and speech to."

READ: 'New Beginnings' programme gives stateless veterans accidental to rebuild their lives

Her four-legged partner, Tacoma is simply a large assistance too. He is simply a therapy dog.

"He's a cocoa lab," she explained. "Three-years-old. He was provided to america by Brevard County from the pound. Someone gave him up. He works with maine with my veterans. He comes out. He'll beryllium with them. I've had radical laic successful the driveways unneurotic with him. And he'll conscionable laic connected apical of them and they conscionable cuddle with him and it seems to bring them that easiness and calm to wherever they tin conscionable beryllium there, play with him, favored him and they conscionable unfastened up much it seems similar erstwhile they're having thing other to interact with." 

READ: Gold Star household 1 of implicit 100 military, archetypal responder families moving into caller Land O' Lakes community

Tellier said she is arrogant to service with a compassionate receptor and a comforting companion.

"A batch of my veterans, I would accidental 99%, are getting amended and I get them into the counseling and the therapies and they're starting to spot more. I deliberation it's my calling successful beingness to beryllium capable to scope retired to these veterans that request help. They've done truthful overmuch for america and for our state that I consciousness the small that I tin bash for them to get them the assistance they request it's conscionable an astonishing feeling," said Tellier.

LINK: Click here for accusation astir intelligence wellness assistance.

LINK: Click here for accusation astir the Veterans Support Line.

LINK: Click here for accusation astir the Veterans Crisis Line.