Recipient Anita, a Navy Veteran, has narcolepsy, mobility issues, and sensory deficits in her legs and feet that make navigating certain surfaces very difficult. Before being paired with her Guardian Angels Service Dog, Comet in 2020, she said that getting around in her daily life was a constant challenge. (more…)
Gina, who was paired with her service dog Rhino in 2018, has intractable epilepsy from a TBI (traumatic brain injury). Rhino is specifically trained to alert Gina before a seizure happens so that she can get to safety. (more…)
United States Army Captain John Kelly (Ret.) was paired with his service dog Ranger in August 2016. “I am a husband, father, veteran, paratrooper, and I’m lucky to be alive,” said John. (more…)
Sheldon Ewers is a U.S. Navy veteran who later worked as a Michigan corrections officer. Sheldon had experiences in both of these positions that left him diagnosed with depression, PTS, and hypervigilance. Sheldon was paired with his service dog Roy in August 2016. (more…)
Oliver was paired with Dash in July of 2020. Oliver has a chronic sleep disorder that disrupts his sleep-wake cycle and made each day feel unpredictable and overwhelming. (more…)
Shonda was paired with Jack in February of 2020. Shonda suffers from night terrors. (more…)
Sean served his community for years as a police captain. While on duty, Sean received a call to respond to a local convenience store. There, he fought with a robbery suspect and was severely injured. Many surgeries and months of rehabilitation were necessary to help repair the damage from Sean’s broken back, traumatic brain injury, and permanent memory loss. (more…)
While Michael was deployed in Afghanistan, his base was hit by rockets, which led to him suffering a shattered leg and jaw along with a traumatic brain injury. (more…)
My name is Matthew McMurray. I am a twelve-year veteran of the US Army, and I served a tour in Iraq in 2003 where I was injured in the line of duty. After returning home, my family and I adopted a puppy from a shelter and named her Sandy. We had Sandy for almost thirteen years before she had to be put down due to illness.
While we had Sandy I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, but my symptoms were not severe and were easily managed with medication. After Sandy’s death, I slipped into a deep depression and my anxiety made me become reclusive. I began having insomnia and suffered from night terrors. I also packed on nearly fifty pounds and started having heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
We had heard of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs at a high school football game where I had the opportunity to meet two teams, Eric and Sun and Patrick and Trooper. My wife, fearing that I was slipping away, recalled the encounter and suggested that I apply. I submitted my application a few weeks later.
Immediately after being paired with Cobalt, I noticed positive changes. I became more sociable and less withdrawn, I was no longer afraid of going to the grocery store or mall, I became more physically active, regained a positive outlook on life, my depression subsided enough to allow me to stop taking medication, and the night terrors stopped.
In the years since our pairing, I’ve gone on to start a new career as an Information Technology Auditor, nearly tripling my income. I’ve reconnected with old friends, rekindled old hobbies, and become an advocate for service dogs and veterans’ mental health. I have a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and freedom. The transformation has been nothing short of a miracle, and I am indeed living an amazing “new normal”.
