K9 Partners for Patriots recalibrated the team’s training regimen to incorporate the wheelchair. They recently graduated from the K9 Partners’ program, and are now planning to start training for the Adaptive Sports Program available through the VA.
WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS. Mary is a Certified Master Dog Trainer with more than 30 years experience. Her credentials include basic and advanced obedience, personal protection, police K9, attack, tracking, retrieval and disabil- ity assistance. She also specializes in behavior modification for problem dogs. She opened her for-profit training facili- ty, Stillwater Dog Training Inc. in 1989. After 9/11, Mary put together a K9 team to aide law enforcement in the recovery of human remains for disasters and homicides. K9 Forensics Recovery Team was a volunteer, nonprofit organization that consisted of herself as well as law enforcement officers from Pasco County Sheriff ’s Office, Hernando County Sheriff ’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. The team traveled throughout Florida and to Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Panama. She was called to Aruba for the Natalie Holloway disappearance investigation. She and her K9 Ruger worked their last disaster search together in October 2008, after Hurricane Ike hit Texas. At Stillwater Dog Training, Mary
began noticing more veterans signing up with their dogs for her classes. She also noticed how often many of them would either not return or would attend the sessions sporadically after having, what they described as, a bad week. She began listening more closely to
those who opened up and talked. Many of them told her they felt their lives had no meaning, no purpose. These were snipers, Green Berets. Incredible men and women who had been placed in high adrenaline jobs. “Some felt that they would never be
forgiven for what they had done. I saw how they were suffering and knew that something needed to be done,” said Mary. She closed her for-profit business and immediately opened K9 Partners for Patriots, a 501c3 nonprofit. She had no idea of the level of success and the count-
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less number of lives she would be saving.
NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE IN. In the Army for 23 years (1983-2007), Paul had been working at one of the highest security clearance levels. “There was a sense of purpose,” he said. “But once the VA slaps you with a diag- nosis, you’re out. And all dignity is lost. Once, we were someone important. Now, we’re forgotten.” Paul was diagnosed with
Dan, his wife Belinda and Gloria,
his trained service dog. They also have two family dogs: Leo, a Chihuahua and Dolly, a Dachshund who uses a wheelchair made for dogs.
PTSD, TBI, MCI (mild cognitive impair- ment) and GWS (Gulf War Syndrome). “I’ve seen quite a bit; lost friends,”
he told us. “I was taking so many medica- tions, just to get my head clear.” Then, in 2000, a doctor predicted
Paul would be dead in three years. He credits his faith, sense of honor and the medical profession with keeping him alive. “And my two daughters, Caroline and Viktoria. They’ve stuck with me through it all,” he said. About two years ago, Dr. Mueller,
Paul’s clinical psychiatrist with the VA in New Port Richey, handed Paul a piece of paper. It had the phone number for K9 Partners for Patriots. When he called, he was told they would be able to assess his dog Moose, a black Labrador Retriever. If his dog passed, they would be trained together over the course of 19 weeks. “How much is this going to cost
me?” he asked. Not a dime, he was told. There had to be a catch. “Nothing is free,” he thought, out loud. “You’re right, Paul. Nothing is free. You’ve already given us a lot. All we need now is your com- mitment to participate,” he was told. One in 25 dogs assessed actually
makes it into the K9 Partners for Patriots program. “We look for dogs who can sense the adrenaline. Some dogs are repelled by it. Others could care less. We look for a dog who is attuned to it,” said Mary. Moose was 12 years old and it was
determined he was too old for the service dog program. The Acquisition Team set out to find the perfect partner for Paul, which usually takes anywhere from two to six weeks.
"Over the 19-week program at K9 Partners for Patriots, the veterans begin to heal, to develop a sense of self-mastery and trust in themselves and others. They begin sleeping better, are able to go out in public on their own, participate in family activities and socialize. There are both physiological and psychological changes that take place. It is holistic, and seen by the veterans as an acceptable means for battling the symptoms of PTSD. For some, this will be enough. For others, it may be the gateway to be able to participate in more traditional forms of treat-
ment.” Diane Scotland-Coogan, an associate professor at Saint Leo University. She counsels many veterans with PTSD and assists K9 Partners for Patriots, a nonprofit organization in Brooksville, dedicated to helping veterans with PTSD manage their lives better with the help of service dogs.
Army veteran Paul and his
service dog Hans, who always has his backside.
Continued.g Summer/Fall 2017 THE NEW BARKER 35
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