(U.S. Senate) – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution led by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, marking today, September 20^th, as National Service Dog Day in honor of service dogs across the country.

“Service dogs play an incredible role in helping our nation’s veterans heal both seen and unseen wounds of war,” said Tester. “Designating today in their honor makes sure we’re rightfully honoring theses four-legged heroes for the lasting, positive contributions they have had on the lives of so many of America’s bravest, and I’m proud we were able to do so.”

“Service dogs provide life-saving assistance, help veterans with disabilities regain their independence and offer companionship and support to our nation’s heroes,” said Ranking Member Moran. “I appreciate my colleagues unanimously passing this resolution to recognize National Service Dog Day – a way to raise awareness about the unique training and tasks that service dogs perform to enable veterans with disabilities to live life to the fullest.”

There are an estimated tens of thousands of service dogs across the United States assisting individuals with a wide-range of disabilities and ailments. A service dog is defined as a dog which have been specifically trained to conduct actions for a person suffering from a disability. These can include seeing eye dogs, seizure alert and response dogs for people with epilepsy, and actions to assist individuals suffering from mental health conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“Service dogs provide invaluable assistance to disabled veterans with the greatest support needs, allowing them to live more independent lives in their communities,” said Paralyzed Veterans of America Associate Executive Director of Government Relations Heather Ansley. “We appreciate the efforts of Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester and Ranking Member Jerry Moran to recognize the important contributions these animals make to the everyday lives of people with disabilities.”

“Today is a very memorable and significant day in history as it symbolizes the lifesaving role that Service Dogs play in mitigating the veteran suicide epidemic in this country,” said K9s For Warriors CEO Carl Cricco. “National Service Dog Day will help to recognize how invaluable these incredible canines are to our American heroes. Thank you, Senators Tester and Moran, as well as Congressmen Bost and Takano for playing such a critical role in helping to highlight the lifesaving work of all Service Dogs for veterans and Americans with disabilities across the country.”

Read the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee leaders’ full resolution HERE.