(upbeat music) - The Rocky Mountain Service Dog Project pairs service dogs with veterans and first responders living with disabilities.

Tilly Thain joins us to explain how the program helps people reclaim their independence.

Thank you, Tilly, for being here.

- Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Glad to be here.

(chuckles) - And who have you brought along with you?

- I brought along my service dog, Thora.

She's a seven year old, well almost seven year old Malinois, which is not typical, but I like it.

- And so many people see service dogs and they don't really understand how much of a help they are to people.

- Yeah.

- Can you talk about that?

- So they are more than just a pet with a vest on.

These dogs are highly trained for tasking.

So, I'll put my personal end to it.

I have CPTSD and also hypoglycemia.

So for her, her job is to let me know that my blood sugar's going low.

So she has a job for that.

And then with the other side of it is giving me the confidence to go back out into public and not be so nervous or anxiety of noises, people, things and stuff like that.

They're different than just a little pet with a vest on.

- Yeah, absolutely.

And so often people see first responders and veterans as heroes.

- Yes.

- And a lot of times it can be hard to ask for that assistance.

How does this program kind of connect people?

- So we pair veterans and first responders to a dog that fits them, not just I train the dog, here you go.

We want to make sure that these now retired veterans or first responders are getting back to it.

So how we do it is we bring you in and we help train the trainer, more or less.

So with training their own dogs and understanding all that kind of stuff, they get the confidence back.

- Yeah.

- And it's an amazing thing to see, not just seeing the dog grow, but seeing the person grow as well.

- Absolutely.

Well, thank you so much for stopping by and sharing this information.

If you would like to learn more about the Rocky Mountain Service Dog Project, just head to the website that is on your screen.

That's rmsdp.org.

I'm Liz Adeola, and thank you for watching, "Contact."

(upbeat music) Philanthropy, Arts, culture.

It's what brings us together.

Hi, I'm Liz Adeola, the host of Contact, a show that connects you with local events and organizations that serve your community.

If you work for a nonprofit and would like to be on Contact, please visit pbs.org/contact