AN army veteran from Warrington who was discharged on medical grounds after developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has found a new purpose – thanks to his love of dogs.
Warren Howell, from Great Sankey, found adopting rescue dogs gave him a focus – and that by training them to cope with the outside world it was having the same effect on himself.
“We were helping each other,” he said.
Now, with help from the New Leaf programme, a scheme funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund, he has passed a canine behaviour course with distinction and become a qualified dog trainer.
He hopes to now become an assistance dog trainer, which means he could train dogs to help people living with mental or physical disabilities.
Warren developed PTSD after serving in Bosnia in 1995. Finding civilian life difficult to adjust to, he decided to adopt a rescue puppy to give himself to focus on.
Eventually, he recovered enough to think about returning to work.
He said: “Coming from a military background, security work was a natural career choice for me, but I had built up such a strong connection with dogs during my recovery and I didn’t want to lose that.”
It was then that Warren decided to combine the skills he learnt during his military background with his passion for working with dogs.
“I got a German Shepard puppy called Blade who I trained from 12 weeks old. By the time he was 14 months we had passed our dog handler qualification and began working together in security across the country”
Unfortunately, one day, while Warren and his dog, Blade, were doing security for a large store, the shop was raided by armed robbers and Blade was attacked and had to be retired. With Blade no longer able to work, it meant Warren was also out of a job.
“My dogs had helped me recover from previous dark periods in my life, and this was no different. I slipped into depression but, to keep positive and focused, I decided to enrol on a canine behaviour course. It wasn’t easy, but my personal experience with dogs helped and I managed to pass with a Distinction!”
The New Leaf programme helped him back into work, teaching him how to run a business and financially supporting him.
Now, as a dog trainer, he has the opportunity to work with lots of dogs and their owners, as well as his best friend, Blade.
Warren is now helping the dog owners of Warrington to better understand their canines, develop happy and well-trained dogs, and help people find the perfect puppy for their lifestyle.
