People have asked, “why did you start a blog about a dog?” My inspiration and reason for writing is my husband, Sam, and his service dog, Memphis. This is a glimpse into our lives and our journey (perhaps our walk) with Memphis.
Our journey began when Sam applied to This Able Veteran in July of 2015. What turned out to be a not-so-great family vacation opened our eyes to how damaging trauma and PTSD could be not only for Sam but for our family. After a lot of conversations and prayer, Sam decided to apply to TAV.
Once Sam was accepted into the class, he would leave for a three week Trauma Resiliency Program. Sam was in a class with six other Veterans (all Army), and they learned commands for their lives, their trauma, and their new canine companions. What we didn’t realize is that by becoming part of this organization we would meet a new group of people: graduates, their spouses and family, the folks who make TAV work…we met and made a new family.
I started keeping tabs of what we would encounter in public, things people would say, and how people would react seeing Sam and Memphis in real life. Now, not everything we heard was positive, and that took some adjusting to—but in the back of my mind I think I always knew I wanted people to understand why service dogs for Veterans are so important—more inspiration.
This is our story. My hope is that you can understand what life is like for a Veteran and service dog team. I would love for you to read these posts and gain new knowledge about organizations like This Able Veteran, Veterans, PTSD, TBI, and the ups and downs that come with war. We have good days and bad, and my wish is that by sharing our story we can unlock a door for someone else, maybe we can help someone else share their story.
Maybe this is the place for you. We hope so.
So, why a blog about a dog? Simple. My husband and his bestie, Memphis.
I love this picture so much that it is now one of the main pictures that you’ll see. Captured on Veteran’s Day, Sam decided to put his uniform on so I could see him in it for the first time. You see, we did not know one another while he was deployed, so this was a super special moment.