Let's Talk About the Dog

So my National biography has my picture in it.  No big deal, they all have pictures of the people.  Mine's special though because it has my canine partner, Mama Cass, in it with me.

I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  I've dealt with it since my return from the war.  In the early years, unfortunately, not successfully at all. I thank God daily that I'm still here to tell that next veteran that being one of the 22 is not the solution.

After realizing I needed to get help, I did.  It's been a long road and there have been relapses but over time, just like the stock market, things have looked up.  When I was finally ready after doing years of the hard work, I learned about a program in southern Illinois that was doing wonders with PTSD dogs and I looked into that.  It changed my life.

Teaching a program of trauma resiliency and making a veteran face things head on, This Able Veteran transformed me into a productive and, more importantly, happy person content with life.  Living in the present is so much better than living in the past.  You'll hear this phrase often from me, namely, The Time is Now.  Let's live today and be present.

I went through the 3-week Trauma Resiliency program in 2014 after a lengthy application process designed to only pick those people who were ready for this next step in their lives.  I was rewarded by being paired with Mama Cass and it has made a difference.  Mama doesn't calm me down, check my six, clear a room before entering or anything like that.  She's been trained to look for cues that I show when I get into a cycle that can't be broken.  She detects the cues and alerts me that I'm doing "that thing," usually with a tapping paw on my leg or more if I don't acknowledge her.  Once acknowledged, she's done her job.  That simple action brings me to the present, the now, and it's up to me to recognize things and draw on my training to take care of myself.  Those who have seen Mama do this can tell you what a powerful thing it is to see her in action and what a transformation I have when she does alert.

I'm much better with her than without her.  I do realize though that ultimately it's up to me to be a better person.  I work on that every day.  For more info on This Able Veteran, check out www.thisableveteran.org.