Paws For Purple Hearts

David's story starts in 2011 when on deployment to Afghanistan, David survived an attack by a suicide bomber. David and his team were responsible for refueling military vehicles, so they were no strangers to being under fire. On that day in May of 2011, the attack came when least expected. The suicide bomber appeared at David's base's gate. According to David, he was "far enough away not to get killed, but close enough to get knocked on my tail and get knocked out." He suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury due to the explosion and was later diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Upon returning home, David went to a dark place. Like many of our Warriors, he began drinking and drifting away from his family members. His wife urged him to get help. Through the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, David discovered Paws for Purple Hearts' Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® program.---- A unique therapeutic intervention, this program focuses on creating opportunities for positive, meaningful interactions with our Service Dogs in Training and their fellow Warriors. Guided by our brilliant staff of highly experienced Program Instructors, Warriors like David get the chance to reinforce commands and behaviors that are vital for a Service Dog in Training—working with the dogs resonated with David, inspiring him to apply for a Paws for Purple Hearts Service Dog. In February 2021, David got the call that Paws for Purple Hearts had a match for him. Two months later, David went through an intensive two-week training course where he bonded with his forever partner, a yellow lab named Scout. David and Scout clicked instantly. Scout's intuition predicted David's anxiety attacks while Scout's drive to work assisted David with physically demanding tasks like picking up David's cane. Today, you wouldn't recognize David as the man he was before Scout. He stands straighter and hardly uses his cane anymore. If you ask him about Scout, he smiles and says, "Scout has helped my confidence so much that I feel happier when I wake up."