WCC is on a mission to make a real difference for our nation’s wounded Warriors so that they may live the fullest life possible. In the following interview, USAF Veteran Ryan shares the journey that led him to his canine partner, Luke. Ryan’s experience with WCC gives a true sense of how service dogs impact the lives of our Service Members and Veterans.
How did you learn about Warrior Canine Connection, and what appealed to you about the program?
While working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, my wife Julie (who is a board-certified music therapist) was introduced to Rick Yount, Executive Director of WCC. During this time she learned about WCC and would always talk about visiting the dogs in training at the end of the day. At the same time I was admitting to myself that I did have PTSD and needed help.
After a few months in to treatment doctors placed me on some medication that altered me in ways I did not like. Julie suggested I look into the program, since I am a dog lover. After spending a couple of days thinking about it, I took her advice and put in an application because I needed an alternative to medication.
How open were you to the idea of a canine partner?
I was not skeptical, as I have seen the positive effects of dogs helping people. In fact, Julie connected some of our family’s friends who were in need of a military family support dog to WCC. Seeing the positive changes that Cadence (who is now a full-fledged service dog with public access) brought to the Service Member and his family, I knew that this was a good idea.
Once you were involved in the WCC program, how long did it take before you were partnered with Luke? What was the matching process like?
It was approximately two years from the time I began the application process (June 2014) to having Luke live with us (February 2016). In February 2015 I was interviewed by WCC Service Dog Trainer Danielle, who told me based on my needs (PTSD and mobility issues due to lower back injury) that I would need a large male lab, a dog WCC had few of at the time.
For the first year, I went to WCC’s puppy enrichment center (PEC) four times to pet new puppies and visit. The second year I started going once a month to meet with Danielle for training sessions where I learned commands and worked on timing. After four months of that, I started going to the PEC weekly where I worked with approximately 12 dogs in various stages of their training. One of those dogs was Luke. In fact, I was there the week Luke returned from his training in Menlo Park, CA.
The first time I worked with him was a very good, relaxing day. He was listening to everything I said and was very well mannered. I went home and told Julie about Luke – the cool dog I worked with that day. That Sunday I told Cadence’s family about Luke – coincidentally, they had met Luke that week as well after a training session with Cadence.
For the next few weeks, I worked with other dogs and Luke every once in a while. Training sessions always seemed easier and more relaxing with Luke. In December, I received an email from WCC saying that Danielle wanted to meet with us before we trained that day. When I arrived trainers shared that Luke and I worked really well together and that we were a match! And after some advanced training together, Luke would be placed with me! We increased our training to two days a week.
The first week of February 2016, Luke became my service dog, and I became his Veteran.
Was the adjustment of having a canine partner easy or did it take a while to find a comfortable routine? Was it complicated for you to have a canine partner so involved in your day-to-day life?
I think it was an easy adjustment having Luke with me. For the first two weeks he was always tethered to me at home and at work. During this time we remained at home, away from public areas as this made the bonding process very easy.
When I found out I would be receiving Luke I went to my command, and asked if it was okay to bring Luke to work. I was routed up the chain and within two days I was informed that it would be fine. Everyone at work was supportive and for a month people asked “When is your dog coming?” When Luke finally came to work, I did not see it as a big deal. However, now almost everyone from shop looks forward to Luke coming in.
In terms of recovery/well-being, how important is Luke? What do you think that journey would look like without your canine partner?
As a result of three deployments to combat areas, I have struggled with depression, anxiety, anger, suicidal thoughts, and lower back pain and numbness in my right leg. Since Luke has come into my life, I don’t feel as depressed or as anxious. On any given day, Luke responds to my anxiety by nudging my leg and/or physically positioning himself between me, and the person I am interacting with.
My attention shifts from the situation to Luke where I can reward him for letting me know I am getting anxious. He is helping me to become more self-aware at work and at home. This is SO HELPFUL in my recovery process. Since Luke is a large dog, he helps me stand from seated positions, which was an unfortunate struggle before Luke came into the picture.
A graduation ceremony for dogs marks a step in healing for wounded veterans
October 8, 2016 – Rockville, Maryland – Ryan Garrison’s service dog wouldn’t stop bugging him.
At a dinner outing with his wife, Julie, at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Baltimore, Garrison was growing nervous, clenching his hands. Being in public spaces had been a problem for the veteran since his return from Iraq, where he fractured two disks in his spine escaping a grenade blast in 2007. Read the complete Washington Post story here.
Video: Warrior Canine Connection at Navy Conference
May 18, 2016 – National Harbor (All Hands Update, U.S. Navy) — Warrior Canine Connection demonstrates how service dogs help each person they come in contact with. View the video.
“Luke became my service dog, and I became his Veteran.”
How did you learn about Warrior Canine Connection, and what appealed to you about the program?
While working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, my wife Julie (who is a board-certified music therapist) was introduced to Rick Yount, Executive Director of WCC. During this time she learned about WCC and would always talk about visiting the dogs in training at the end of the day. At the same time I was admitting to myself that I did have PTSD and needed help.
After a few months in to treatment doctors placed me on some medication that altered me in ways I did not like. Julie suggested I look into the program, since I am a dog lover. After spending a couple of days thinking about it, I took her advice and put in an application because I needed an alternative to medication.
How open were you to the idea of a canine partner?
I was not skeptical, as I have seen the positive effects of dogs helping people. In fact, Julie connected some of our family’s friends who were in need of a military family support dog to WCC. Seeing the positive changes that Cadence (who is now a full-fledged service dog with public access) brought to the Service Member and his family, I knew that this was a good idea.
Once you were involved in the WCC program, how long did it take before you were partnered with Luke? What was the matching process like?
It was approximately two years from the time I began the application process (June 2014) to having Luke live with us (February 2016). In February 2015 I was interviewed by WCC Service Dog Trainer Danielle, who told me based on my needs (PTSD and mobility issues due to lower back injury) that I would need a large male lab, a dog WCC had few of at the time.
For the first year, I went to WCC’s puppy enrichment center (PEC) four times to pet new puppies and visit. The second year I started going once a month to meet with Danielle for training sessions where I learned commands and worked on timing. After four months of that, I started going to the PEC weekly where I worked with approximately 12 dogs in various stages of their training. One of those dogs was Luke. In fact, I was there the week Luke returned from his training in Menlo Park, CA.
The first time I worked with him was a very good, relaxing day. He was listening to everything I said and was very well mannered. I went home and told Julie about Luke – the cool dog I worked with that day. That Sunday I told Cadence’s family about Luke – coincidentally, they had met Luke that week as well after a training session with Cadence.
For the next few weeks, I worked with other dogs and Luke every once in a while. Training sessions always seemed easier and more relaxing with Luke. In December, I received an email from WCC saying that Danielle wanted to meet with us before we trained that day. When I arrived trainers shared that Luke and I worked really well together and that we were a match! And after some advanced training together, Luke would be placed with me! We increased our training to two days a week.
The first week of February 2016, Luke became my service dog, and I became his Veteran.
Was the adjustment of having a canine partner easy or did it take a while to find a comfortable routine? Was it complicated for you to have a canine partner so involved in your day-to-day life?
I think it was an easy adjustment having Luke with me. For the first two weeks he was always tethered to me at home and at work. During this time we remained at home, away from public areas as this made the bonding process very easy.
When I found out I would be receiving Luke I went to my command, and asked if it was okay to bring Luke to work. I was routed up the chain and within two days I was informed that it would be fine. Everyone at work was supportive and for a month people asked “When is your dog coming?” When Luke finally came to work, I did not see it as a big deal. However, now almost everyone from shop looks forward to Luke coming in.
In terms of recovery/well-being, how important is Luke? What do you think that journey would look like without your canine partner?
As a result of three deployments to combat areas, I have struggled with depression, anxiety, anger, suicidal thoughts, and lower back pain and numbness in my right leg. Since Luke has come into my life, I don’t feel as depressed or as anxious. On any given day, Luke responds to my anxiety by nudging my leg and/or physically positioning himself between me, and the person I am interacting with.
My attention shifts from the situation to Luke where I can reward him for letting me know I am getting anxious. He is helping me to become more self-aware at work and at home. This is SO HELPFUL in my recovery process. Since Luke is a large dog, he helps me stand from seated positions, which was an unfortunate struggle before Luke came into the picture.
DC Reporter Training Service Dog in Honor of Wounded Warrior
Washington, D.C. (Washington Free Beacon) — A D.C. reporter is working with a national service dog charity in order to train a puppy in honor of a Marine who was wounded while serving in Iraq. Andrea McCarren, an award-winning multimedia reporter at Washington’s CBS affiliate, is raising an English Labrador Retriever named for Marine Corporal Justin Bunce. Once trained, “Bunce,” the puppy, will be placed with a wounded warrior in need of physical or psychological assistance. McCarren and Bunce are part of the non-profit Warrior Canine Connection. Read the full article.
Warrior Canine Connection Graduation 2015
October 29, 2015 – Germantown, MD (Montgomery County Council) — The Warrior Canine Connection has a mission of helping and healing our veterans who have returned from war. In this segment, we recap the organization’s recent graduation of 14 service dogs. Watch the graduation video here.
Soldier’s best friend: Wounded Vet finds healing — and a best man — through Warrior Canine Connection
October 27, 2015 – New York (Today.com) — When Justin Lansford returned from Afghanistan in the spring of 2012, the last thing on his mind was getting a dog.
He’d just been blown up and crushed by a vehicle while serving as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Read the story on NBC Today here.
Warrior Canine Connection Eases Veterans’ Struggles With Help From Furry Friends
October 15, 2015 – Brookeville, MD (Capital News Service) — The dogs at Warrior Canine Connection are veterans’ best friends.
Trained by service members, a group of the dogs will graduate on Saturday and become permanent four-legged aides to disabled veterans or veterans in need. WCC’s third graduating class of 14 dogs will be celebrated at 1 p.m. in Montgomery College’s Globe Hall in Germantown, Md.
View the video and read the story here.
“It’s Animal-Assisted Therapy on Steroids.”
August 31, 2015 – WASHINGTON (WETA) — The Warrior Canine Connection program and the stories of two Veterans and their WCC service dogs are featured in this installment of the PBS “Honored to Serve” series, produced by WETA Television. Watch it here.
Menlo Park non-profit training service dogs for veterans celebrates 2 year anniversary
April 24, 2015 – MENLO PARK, Calif. (KTVU) – It’s a program that’s helping veterans heal by connecting them with service dogs. On Saturday, the program will celebrate two years of helping injured veterans.
A Labrador retriever named Luke is on a mission to become a service dog for a wounded warrior. His trainer Charles Cotton is a U.S. Navy veteran from San Francisco who served in the Vietnam War. Cotton is also recovering from substance abuse.
“In the little time I’ve known Luke,” said Cotton. “Luke showed me more control than I’ve showed myself in a long time.”
View the story here.
Love and Honor: Specially Trained, Caring Dogs Serve Those Who Serve
Spring 2015 – On any given weekday, it’s not unusual to see recovering warriors at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, Md., engaged in a mission that will transform the lives of their fellow veterans with disabilities. A quick look inside the Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) program once there reveals the heart of the mission, an assortment of young Golden and Labrador Retrievers with bright eyes, eager smiles, and wagging tails.
Read the full article from The Virginia-Maryland Dog here.