FEATURE “It’s the whole aspect of doing something for a fellow
Veteran that makes it as powerful as it is, a different kind of mission,” says Yount. “It requires patience, assertiveness, posi- tive reinforcement, kindness, consistency, communication skills, love, responsibility and an attitude of never giving up.” After a year of helping to train a dog as a patient, Tommy
applied for a service dog of his own. “I remember getting interviewed following my applica-
tion, and this dog, Sam, came right up to me, laid at my feet, and I swear, he adopted me right then and there. We had an instant connection, and that’s key to a good match.” Tommy says life hasn’t been the same since that fateful
day when he was paired with Sam, a black Labrador Retriever. “Te biggest thing that Sam does for me is that he inter-
rupts my stress cues,” says Tommy. “He knows when I’m being triggered, and he’s very good at it. He also helps me with mobility. He’s a big boy at 84 pounds and is really sturdy, so he helps stabilize me and brace me when I’m weak, like when I need help getting up from a chair.” Sam hasn’t just helped change Tommy’s life, he’s made an
Tommy Faulkenberry, his wife, Mary, and their four sons pose with service dog Sam following the Warrior Canine Connection 2015 Graduation.
“As a social worker, I was frustrated at the outcomes
from traditional therapies,” says Yount. “We discovered that we could use dogs to address so many challenges that folks with psychological issues are struggling with. To have a non- pharmaceutical, more natural way of improving the lives of Veterans—how could we not?” Yount previously helped establish the Warrior service
dog-training program at WRNMMC’s Warrior Transition Brigade in Washington, D.C., in 2009. Ten in October of 2011, he and the WCC program were invited to be part of the PTSD and TBI research, treatment and education mission at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland. Now, WCC’s dogs are also in training at Fort Bel- voir Community Hospital in Virginia, and the organization runs a service dog training program at the Menlo Park, Cali- fornia, campus of the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. Since its inception, WCC has placed 19 service dogs
with wounded Warriors. However, through its Mission- Based Trauma Recovery program, the organization has also impacted the lives of more than 3,700 Service Members and Veterans who have assisted in the training process. Te training of one WCC service dog can impact as many as 60 service members in the process.
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impact on the entire family. “One of my boys woke up with a nightmare in the middle of the night, and Sam went in there and jumped into bed with him,” said Tommy. “It’s funny, they don’t train the dogs to do that, they naturally do it … they’re designed to love from day one, and I love that. But Sam also knows when he puts the vest on, he’s going to work.”
The Faulkenberry family settles in for a snuggle session on the couch with service dog Sam.
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