Life after service can be challenging for some veterans. Even though they're no longer on the battlefield, soldiers' brains are conditioned to experience frequent “fight or flight” responses. This type of emotional condition is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and it can be nearly impossible to rein in without professional help.
One method to help soldiers with PTSD is the utilization of service dogs like the lovable yellow labrador, Pax.
Pax wasn't trained in an expensive canine facility – instead, she was looked after by dozens of women inmates inside the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. This maximum-security facility has been involved in the service dog training program for decades, and Pax was just one of hundreds of pups who have spent time with the women.
While Pax was looked after by handfuls of inmates, none loved him as much as Laurie Kellogg.
In an emotional interview with The New York Times, Laurie explained why training Pax for PTSD hit so close to home.
“I too had P.T.S.D. after years of domestic violence. I too had flashbacks. Pax knew, and he let me know I wasn't there – I was here.”
So, when Laurie found out her furry friend was to go to a soldier, she was beyond thrilled. She knew that Pax had the skills to bring happiness, joy and freedom into their life.
Sure enough, Pax's presence was able to bring 47-year-old veteran Sgt. William (Bill) Campbell back from the shadows. That's why Bill was determined to travel to Bedford Hills and thank Laurie for the training that made Pax's behavior possible.
Bill and Laurie got to sit down alongside the other pups and women in the training program and she told him that Pax was angel in both of their lives.
“I knew when they told me [Pax] was going to go into PTSD training, that he would make somebody feel the same sense of freedom he gave me in a place where I was supposed to be anything but [free]. He gave me back pieces of myself that I forgot even existed.
When he left me and they told me he was going to you, Bill, I sat on my floor and cried. I realized that, by giving me Pax and taking him from me, he had given me the greatest gift that anyone had ever given me in my entire life. He restored a piece of my soul.”
Not only did Laurie get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the fruits of her labor, but Bill also got to meet the woman responsible for cultivating the creature who made day-to-day life bearable again!
Watch Pax and Laurie's emotional reunion here – it is worth every second!
Now Laurie can rest assured that her training really did make a difference! This is something that everyone should see at least once in their life!
Sources: The New York Times, Science Daily
