North Raleigh Today

Tami Johns knows the value of having a therapy dog, so she is working to raise awareness of the benefits.

Johns is an Army veteran who suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), according to WTVD. She is looking forward to taking part in the upcoming World's Largest Pet Walk, sponsored by Pet Partners.

"We raised specifically for Pet Partners," Johns said. "It's an organization that connects humans and animals – all kinds of animals, but about 90% of their animals are dogs. They go out and they do the registering of the animals so that they can all be therapy animals or service dogs."

The aim of the walk, which will occur on Sept. 24, is to promote awareness about the benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities, and education, WTVD reported. Teams of people will walk in cities across the U.S, including Raleigh. Johns will walk there with Jasper, her service dog. He graduated from the Pet Partners program last year.

"I have PTSD from an event that I had when I was in the military, and so the dog, that's why he alerts me to all of those kinds of things, because I can be hypervigilant and get a little anxious sometimes," Johns said.

Pet Partners trains nine animal species for therapy work, according to WTVD. This includes dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, llamas, and alpacas. 

"Anyone across the country can take part in the World's Largest Pet Walk on Saturday, Sept. 24," WTVD reported. Registration is free and funds raised will support the Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program.