Table 4.

Veterans’ Experience with the Program.

My dog wakes me up in the morning when I don’t want to wake up. He’s a great companion. I always have him with me; I love him. He’s whatever you are. If you’re very active, he will be active with you. If you’re calm and not doing much, he will sit there with, lay with you. He takes on your personality pretty much.

I had just lost my oldest son. Five days later, my wife of 50 years, I found in the house dead. After all that was done, I went through a real bad depression state, and probably on the verge of being suicidal. It’s always been just me and my wife. After 50 years, she wasn’t there to pull me out of my depression state, support me, to back me up, to always be pushing me onward, making me the man she always knew I could be. Then my dog came along, and he started pulling me forward.

I’m kind of a sedentary person, I read a lot and I watch a lot of TV. My dog is a walker; she loves her walks. I think Sunday I took her on five walks. I feel better. When I wake up, I feel fresher and I get up sooner. Before my dog I would get up and be in my pajamas, and the first thing I would do is go in the living room and turn on the TV. Now I get dressed immediately and take her outside.

Having my dog has been a blessing to me. At first, she didn’t respond to me the way I felt she should, and I was afraid that she might not be a good fit. But I refused to let her go. As we got acquainted, we go and do almost everything. She brings so much joy to my life. She gets me out of the house to walk if I want to go or not. I’m glad I was put in touch with (the principal investigator) for this program.