BALTIMORE — Roughly 20 veterans take their own lives everyday.
K9s for Warriors pairs veterans with service dogs to lower that number.
WMAR-2 News spoke to a Baltimore woman to see first-hand how a service dog can make a huge difference.
Jamie Benjamin is a retired Army veteran who saw the unthinkable while serving overseas.
She credits Deacon the dog with changing her life.
Just holding Deacon puts Benjamin at ease.
"Deacon usually gets in my face. He will lick on me. He will change the whole atmosphere that I'm now focusing on Deacon and I don't get any anxiety," said Benjamin.
This is crucial because Benjamin suffers from PTSD.
She enlisted in the Army in 2007, before deploying to Afghanistan as a religious affairs specialist from 2012 to 2013.
After returning home, Benjamin says she was haunted by memories overseas.
"I could just tell that I wasn't the same from hyperventilating and anxiety, literally and mentally distraught."
In 2018 Benjamin received Deacon through K9s for Warriors.
Before Deacon came around, Benjamin didn't want to go anywhere.
"I didn't go out anymore. I was depressed. I was pretty isolated, but when I received Deacon, I'm able to travel, we go places," said Benjamin.
Benjamin is one of nearly 1,000 veterans with a service dog from K9s for Warriors.
"So, when these veterans come here, they are struggling with their own mental health. And they don't know if there is a way they can go back to living their life without fear or being able to go into crowded places or be a part of their kids lives," said Dani Bozzini, of K9s For Warriors.
Bozzini says many veterans tried other programs that didn't work.
"For a lot of these veterans, this is the last house on the block. This is their last ditch effort to find something that works for them," said Bozzini
Benjamin is now an ambassador for K9s For Warriors.
She also attends Coppin State University, studying rehab services with the goal of helping disabled veterans.