Heroes and Their Dogs

Tom is a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq. He was matched with Norwin, a black Labrador retriever, through FSD’s Operation Full Circle program. Norwin assists Tom in public so that he can go more places with his children, and he also helps Tom sleep better by nudging him awake from the…

Chris, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who saw action in the first Gulf War, is the human half of Team Noodle. FSD’s Operation Full Circle program for veterans bonded these two into an inseparable team in which Chris provides love and care for Noodle, a boxer mix, and Noodle gives his Marine unconditional love and…

Eddie joined the U.S. Army in 1998 and at 25 years old, he became an elite U.S. Army Ranger who was deployed three times to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq for a total of 38 months. The retired veteran lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with his wife, a couple horses, and Scrappy, a Great Dane mix…

Shay served in the U.S. Navy for four years and has been diagnosed with PTSD. Through FSD’s Operation Full Circle program for veterans, she was placed with a calm, chill Labradoodle named Tiptoe who accompanies Shay in public to relieve her anxiety and panic disorder. Says Shay, “Tiptoe came into my life at the right…

This article and the accompanying photographs has been reprinted from the PawPrintsGallery website from an article posted on Memorial Day, Sunday, May 30, 2010. A True Partnership I was honored to photograph Master Sergeant Mark and his dog, Larry. Larry was trained by an organization called America’s VetDogs and service dog to Mark. When Mark…

Chadd has seen a fair share of traumatic events during his 16 year career in the military. After returning from his most recent deployments in Iraq and Kuwait he noticed that something wasn’t right. Chadd began to isolate himself from the rest of the world. At work at the Pentagon, Chadd was able to hide…

Adam joined the U.S. Army when he was 18-years old. During his years of service, Adam deployed to Kosovo (2000), Iraq (2005-2006) and Afghanistan (2008-2009). Traumatic experiences he endured range from engaging the enemy, losing close friends to war and also surviving an Improvised Explosive Devise blast as well as surviving a 107mm rocket attack…

Dustin serves with the U.S. Marine Corps and was injured during his first combat tour to Afghanistan in 2009 when an Improvised Explosive Device hit his convoy. As a result of the blast, Dustin suffers from severe Traumatic Brain Injury and has seizures. In August 2011 Dustin was successfully paired with a dog named Honors.…

Nell is an Army E-5 Sergeant. She suffers from PTSD and Respiratory ailment- “Deployment Induced Lung Disease”. Her service dog is Dusk, an almost 2yr old female black standard poodle. Dusk has been trained on many specialized tasks to help Nell. Dusk has been trained on block and post, which are commands that cause the…

Michaun has seen a lot in her life. As a respiratory therapist and member of the trauma team for the ICU in the Army, stationed stateside and abroad, she has seen much suffering. But now she is dealing with a loss of her own, that of her sight. After she contracted a resistant strain of…

Trista is an active duty soldier. She has served in the United States Army for nine years and been deployed three times. Trista suffers from severe PTSD and, as a result, tends to isolate herself. She confessed that before she got matched with a service dog, she would take multiple anti-anxiety medications to go to…

Sam suffers from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and prefers to not share her background with the public. However, she is happy to report that she was successfully matched with Glory, her service dog, in July 2012. Sam and Glory completed placement class the same weekend that Sam was retired from the Army. Since retiring…

Zeus, a Ridgeback mix, was given a second chance at life. He was surrendered to a no kill shelter in Florida because his owner could not afford to keep him, and believed that a no kill shelter meant that they do not euthanize the dogs.When Zeus’ owner found out that his dog would have a…

Naval Health Branch Clinic – Andrews Air Force Base, MD As manager of one of the largest and most comprehensive clinics located at Andrews Air Force Base, overseeing the care of some of the most distinguished military personnel critical to national security, from Navy Seals to the pilots who run reconnaissance missions over Washington, D.C.,…

January 2013 Part of this story is taken from the Stennis News dated March 17, 2009 Navy Lt. j.g. Daniel, a Slidell, Louisiana native was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Joint Service Commendation Medal for his individual meritorious achievements during combat operations in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Daniel, a Navy Reserve…

While serving in a Marine battalion at the “Tip of the Spear’ in Vietnam, Bud’s medical skills were equal only to his loyalty towards his fellow soldiers in the jungle. The recipient of two bronze stars and numerous other military decorations, Bud tried to reassemble his life upon his return to civilian life at the…

The recipient of many war time honors, the Purple Heart included, Bob paid dearly for those honors. Serving in the First Marine Division, stationed in Vietnam in 1969, Bob saw his share of horrors that could not be imagined by civilians in society today. Once a very social and outgoing individual, Bob’s world began to…

Cindy is a combat Veteran with PTSD and TBI. She has issues with anxiety in public as well as balance. Cindy had a service dog who passed away years ago and she has been hoping to find that sense of support and friendship with another dog. Skeeter has truly fit that bill! Skeeter helps Cindy…

James is a Veteran with PTSD who suffers from an exaggerated startle response that often keeps him from going in public. He received Tawney a few months ago and she is a huge help to him, getting him out for long walks and trips to the library. Tawney posts and blocks for James and also…

Kathleen is an Army Veteran with PTSD and severe Tendonitis in her hip. Her dog Tatum helps her with Brace and Balance, retrieving objects and opening heavy doors. They are working together wonderfully and Katie is so excited to have Tatum by her side!

Patrick is a young Veteran who returned from overseas deployment with an extremely rare heart condition. Patrick suffers from seizures and fainting spells that are extremely debilitating and have caused him to fall down the stairs, breaking his collar bone. Patrick’s entire life changed with this diagnosis. He had to move back in with his…

Rick is an Army veteran with combat experience. He has Bilateral degenerative bone disease in both legs. His service dog Chase helps retrieve objects, turn on the lights, retrieve a phone, and brace to get up. Chase has also helped Rick in her therapy practice, providing comfort for Rick’s Veteran clients!

Brooks comes from a full house. He and his wife have three children and a fourth on the way. They’ll soon add a mellow, laid-back Goldador named Gordon to their growing family, and Gordon will fit right in. With over six years of active duty in the Army Airborne Infantry, including two deployments in Iraq…

Back home Ryan has avoided normal family activities, places where people and crowds cause a hyper-vigilant reaction. Now that he’s met an energetic black Labrador named Junee—his new Veteran Service Dog—he’s hoping for a better life. ‘I want to be able to go with my family, see what my kids are doing,’ he shares. Ryan’s…

We are pleased to introduce Army Veteran John and his new Guide Dog Sukey. John and Sukey were teamed up in November of 2014. Sukey is Johns first Guide Dog. The pair gained confidence together as they trained on campus, in residential areas, shopping malls, and even city streets. John and Sukey bonded well, and…

Ricardo served in both the Marines and the Army for 17 years, with a stint in between serving in the New York Police Department. Providing security as part of a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom meant responding to many emergencies, and Ricardo returned home with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury.…

During the 10 day class designed to train Army veteran Monica and her new service dog Biscuit to work together their bond was permanently sealed. Biscuit has been specifically trained to mitigate the symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Monica is a born leader, so hiding out at home…

Heather’s new service dog Verlin has been specifically trained to mitigate the symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). When Army veteran Heather deployed to Iraq, she knew the combat environment would be tough. However nothing prepared her for the nightmarish experiences she would experience there and the PTSD that followed. After three years in…

James served with both Marines then Army as a combat engineer in Afghanistan. He suffers many disabilities but Derby allows his family to feel safe leaving home along. Derby is trained to assist James with, sleep disruption, medication reminders including blocking a repeated attempt, tactile interruption for panic and anxiety, locating, retrieving, bracing and balance.