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Black Dog Ride

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Black Dog Ride began in Australia in 2009 as one man’s mission to raise awareness of depression and suicide. It has since developed into a national suicide prevention charity involving thousands of motorcycle riders who have raised over $1,800,000 for mental health services in Australia, fostering mental health awareness around the country.

In 2015, Black Dog Ride came to the United States for the first time in support of Mental Health First Aid USA. The Black Dog Riders traversed the country over 21 days and 4,350 miles to raise awareness and funds for Mental Health First Aid USA training for veterans and first responders.

Due to the nature of their work, U.S. military veterans and first responders (police, paramedics, firefighters) are at high risk for developing depression, anxiety and PTSD, and subsequently they have a tragically high rate of suicide. Mental Health First Aid equips them with the tools to respond to a mental health crisis in an appropriate way, fostering help-seeking behavior, which can reduce the likelihood of a suicide attempt.

To learn more about Black Dog Ride, visit www.blackdogride.com. To view some media coverage of the Black Dog Ride across America, visit the News & Updates page.

  • Mental Health First Aid training has taught the officer to ask his charges, “What happened?” instead of, “What’s wrong with you?”” –Officer Orlando Singleton
  • So many people are out there wishing for something better, hoping that help will show up. That’s what Mental Health First Aid is – it is help to get people connected to care and ultimately to get them to a better place.” –Tousha Paxton-Barnes, U.S. Army Veteran
  • I wish that every corrections officer could receive Mental Health First Aid training. I believe that our corrections system would be better because of it – the inmates would benefit, the officers would benefit and ultimately our communities would benefit.” –Lt. Virgil Meyer, Lieutenant, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says “how can I be helpful,” that is a powerful question. ” –Alyssa Fruchtenicht, School-Based Mental Health Counselor
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