Table 3.

Representative Qualitative Quotes from Partners in Service Dog Group.

Domain (freq.)	Coding examples
Veteran functioning (69)
Benefits (66)	“As a Caregiver for my husband, HIS service dog is an essential part my husband’s overall health. Before he received his dog, my husband was a recluse. He did NOT engage in life. My husband’s anxiety was through the roof. It was heartbreaking to see my vibrant, loving, outgoing husband be effected so terribly by his PTSD and TBI. Since his SD [service dog] came into the picture, I’ve noticed that his shoulders have relaxed, he feels more confident, has purpose in life, and loves to show off his baby. He’s a GODSEND!!!” “My wife’s dog doesn’t care what happened in the past or what mistakes she thinks she’s made since getting him. He only sees someone he loves and this love is something that can be felt and uplifts her mood. When her dog is around she isn’t thinking that a person she walks past has to be thinking badly about her for one reason or another. She now walks around thinking ‘they are looking at my dog’. This makes her feel less insecure.”
Challenges (3)	“Husband’s anxiety has increased because the dog draws attention from strangers. Owner can’t go all places he previously did.”
General (56)
Benefits (32)	“The service dog has been trained to help with PTSD. The service dog blocks people from approaching, watches the surrounding area and provides emotional support during stressful times and situations.” “These animals are life savers. Properly trained PTSD/TBI/MST dogs not only help reintegrate, they give back the power to ‘be normal.’”
Challenges (24)	“You are always a parade walking down the street. A service dog is like having a sign that says ‘Free Candy!’ Everybody wants to come pet your dog, many do so without asking which is a trigger. People want to justify themselves for touching the dog that has a huge ‘DO NOT PET’ sign on it by saying ‘well I’m an animal lover’. Everybody loves animals, that doesn’t give you the right to come touch our dog. Also, it makes travel difficult sometimes mostly because people don’t know the regulations and they don’t know the rules so you’re CONSTANTLY trying to educate and then people want to argue about it with you and now you’re a spectacle. And you always need more space, more time and less people to come try to interact with your dog.”
Partner quality of life (20)
Benefits (19)	“These animals give us a little pinch of what our old life used to be like.” “I can go to the store without my spouse having a panic attack now. I used to never be able to leave the house without my spouse because he couldn’t be left alone and he was fearful that I would get injured while away from him. With the service dog I have greater independence.” “As a caregiver/wife, his service dog has allowed me to relax. While the dog does NOT attend to MY needs, having him in my husband’s life means that I don’t have to always watch my husband like a hawk.”
Challenges (1)	“If I had to pick a drawback it would only be the added cost of care when we struggle month to month as it is.”
Family functioning (20)
Benefits (16)	“The service dog has brung my family closer together emotionally. We go out more often as a family and we are more happy. Just seeing the positive changes in my husband makes things better for all of us.” “We are able to do more things out of the home with our children. My husband is less stressed at home.”
Challenges (3)	“Integration can be very stressful on the spouses and family members. The dog becomes a family member that nobody else can touch for a while and is always loyal to the owner which can be challenging to adjust to emotionally.” “I feel like the family gets left behind though. After years of dealing with someone’s PTSD and TBI, it can be confusing when things suddenly get better for them but not the rest of the family members.”
No changes (1)	“Unfortunately, it hasn’t seemed to carry over into his relationships with the kids and myself.”
Relationship functioning (8)
Benefits (7)	“Having a service animal had dramatically improved the quality of life for my husband, and has given both of us renewed hope for his future!” “I truly feel like I have gotten my husband back.”
No changes (1)	“Unfortunately, it hasn’t seemed to carry over into his relationships with the kids and myself.”
Partner social functioning (5)
Benefits (5)	“She [the dog] listens without judgment.”
Partner mental well-being (4)
Benefits (4)	“I find myself turning to the dog when I am stressed or anxious. Having him there seems to help.”
Partner work functioning (1)
Challenges (1)	“I can’t work a full time job because of my spouses inability to be alone.”

Note. Bolded text indicates overall domain with themes listed under each. Frequencies of codes in parentheses. Total coding instances = 185; themes with zero frequencies (n = 8) or text coded as unclear (n = 2) not presented. Text not edited to fix grammatical or spelling errors. SD = service dog; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder; TBI = traumatic brain injury; MST = military sexual trauma.