Arie Lavy

Arie Lavy is an Israeli –Canadian citizen who fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War for the Israel Defence Forces in the Sinai and was captured by the Egyptians.
Arie was held as a Prisoner of War for 42 days, during which time he suffered mental and physical abuse at the hands of his captors. Following his release during a prisoner exchange, he was reunited with his parents and girlfriend briefly before being taken for a debriefing by the Israeli military that lasted weeks. He has lived with PTSD for 45 years, relying on pharmaceuticals, strong social support, yoga, and canine companions to lead a normal life. Arie has personal experience on the effectiveness of psychiatric service dogs to help veterans cope with the stress of everyday life and is working to establish a pilot program to provide psychiatric service dogs to IDF veterans and former POWs in Israel who suffer from PTSD.