Becoming a Service Dog Team

Pilot working at the Military Exchange in Fort Hood, Texas

October 2, 2015 was one of the greatest days in my life.  That was the day that Pilot and I graduated and we became teammate.   So you may ask, who is Pilot?   Well, Pilot is an 80 LBS Yellow Labrador Retriever who happen to be my Service Dog. 

The story goes that Pilot was flown from Oklahoma to Texas in a small plane.  He was placed in the rear of the plane while the actual pilot flew the plane.    But “Pilot” refused to be in the rear of the plane he kept insisting in climbing in the pilot seat.    He did this so many times that eventually “Pilot” became his name.  Old habit never died and Pilot still want to be in the front looking at everything and anything he want.

I’m a Disabled Veteran and like many other veterans I suffer from certain disabilities that limit how and when I interact with other.  With time I withdrew myself slowly from dealing with the public, to the point that I did my shopping at 2 or 3 AM.   The problem with that is that, not everything is open at 2 or 3 AM and at some point I have to deal with people in general at “normal” business hours.   Something that was detrimental to me.

The other issued was depression.  Depression was talking a toll on me.   To the point that I was obsessed with the ideal of suicide.  My medical provider recommended that I get a service dog.  I found thru a brochure an agency in Texas, Patriot PAWS Service Dogs, that was willing to provide me one.   Only one catch, the list was so long that I have to wait and waiting I did.    Almost 3 years, and you may ask, why so long?

Great question, training a service dog is not an easy task.   It takes an average of at least 2 years and it cost well over $30,000 to train each dog, so volunteers, prison staff from the Prison Program, corporate and individuals donations is what make an organization like Patriot PAWS Service Dogs possible.

Here he is during graduation day and as puppy

Contrary to popular belief you don’t pick which dog you’re going to get.   The dog actually pick you and Pilot choose me right off.    That is why we bonded so well and he had made my life much easier and fun.    We go together to the store, hospital and restaurant and he is always there for me.   While he is not a cure, he is companionship and with his training and intuition,my depression tapered off to the point "that I can go on" with my life, because he knows what to do when I have an anxiety attack or when I’m depressed and because just like he is there for me I have a responsibility towards him as well, I will blog about that later.  Together with Pilot I also gained a family, yes a family in a sense that once you get a dog from Patriot PAWS Service Dog, volunteers and staffs become a family to you. So help with my dog or just someone to talk  to is just a phone call away.

Unfortunately, you there is more veterans in need of trained dogs than actual dogs and with a veterans’ suicide rate of 22 veterans a day, things are not going to get better.   But you can help.   You can make tax deductible contribution to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs or even volunteer. 

Learn More about Patriot PAWS Service Dog by going to their website at http://www.patriotpaws.org