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Huey, one of OFP's service dogs, has been selected as a national finalist in Purina's "Visible Impact Award" contest. We were so excited and honored to win last year, and hope to have the same success this year. If we win, $25K will go to OFP (enough to cover all the costs for a new team from start to finish) and Huey's veteran handler Ramon would receive $10K. His daughter starts college this month, so I suspect that would come in handy!

This report is what I submitted for Huey:

Huey is about as easygoing a dog as it's possible to meet. When it comes to addressing Ramon’s PTSD, he and Huey are always on the same page, functioning as a single entity. Ramon says “Huey isn’t just a dog, he’s my friend.” During training sessions Huey will sometimes “down” to the extreme---belly up---to remind Ramon it’s OK to laugh and relax. But Huey takes his work very seriously. When Huey started gently nudging Ramon in the stomach a few weeks ago, Ramon thought nothing of it. Huey persisted, but Ramon didn’t recognize or respond to this behavior; he didn’t realize it would turn out to be a new alert. After several days in the hospital, Ramon won’t be taking any of Huey’s actions for granted again! Ramon is back at work, but still recovering his strength, and Huey is keeping a very close eye on him. If Ramon tries to continue walking when Huey thinks he should sit down for a rest, Huey stops. Just stops. Absolutely nothing will budge him until Ramon goes to a chair and sits down. Then Huey drapes himself over Ramon’s lap and legs so he can’t move an inch until Huey decides he’s rested enough to get up. True to his personality, Huey doesn’t make a big fuss about it, but there’s no way to ignore this new behavior he’s developed to make SURE Ramon pays attention to his recovery. Huey is always good-natured, but he’s also stubbornly determined to calmly do his job to the best of his ability.

In Ramon’s words, “Like myself, there are many casualties of war that go unnoticed, unappreciated, or unacknowledged and I really felt like one of them. Then comes broken families, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, anger and so many other mental issues, too many to list. It's the unseen scars and wounds that have yet to heal. A lot of times these wounds go unnoticed by the average citizen, so by the time they are realized it's too late for the veteran to regain what was lost; his or her mind, family, self-esteem, friends, motivation and quite often the will to live. I speak from my own experience when I say that the unseen wounds that so many of us carry can be, and are, just as deadly as an IED, mortar round, RPG, or small arms fire. The difference is that I was trained to defend myself from these manmade weapons, but when it came to the aftermath of what went on in my mind, I stood defenseless. You can say I was blindsided or ambushed by an enemy that I had no idea how to fight. So while I might have been out of harm’s way the war within still raged….Then came Huey. People have told me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that eventually I'll get there. Let's just say that Huey is the light that is guiding me through the tunnel. He has awakened a part of me that has been dormant since my return from Iraq. A part that I thought had died over there. Because of him I laugh more, I go out in public not just with my family, but by myself as well. He helps me be aware of my surroundings and if need be, he pulls me away from areas when I start to feel uncomfortable. Every day is a struggle and I know life will never be the same but with Huey I could make the impossible possible. Now I can stand up tall, head held high and be able to say with pride, ‘I am a disabled veteran.’”

After spending 17 years in the Army, military life was all Ramon knew. When he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury from events that occurred in Iraq, his military career was cut short, and it took many years for him to accept the fact that he was disabled. When Ramon started the OFP service dog program, he just wanted to get back to "normal" (whatever that is) just like all the other veterans who apply for a service dog. Until he learned to communicate with Huey, Ramon was unable to talk with his family. His wife was struggling unsuccessfully to find ways to help Ramon to accept and cope with his new challenges, while she also raised their two children. Ramon’s inability to accept his circumstances made him lash out angrily at the family. Huey became Ramon’s interpreter, letting the family know when he was having a bad day, remaining quietly at his side and accepting his frame of mind without judgment. Little by little Ramon began opening up to Huey and showing affection. Over time he found ways to talk to his wife and children about his frustration with his situation and his disabilities. The past six years have not been without setbacks and struggles, but Ramon and Huey and the family have all persevered together. Ramon is now an OFP Mentor-Trainer, sharing his skills and experience with other veterans.

Links:

• Click this link if you'd like to cast your vote for Huey!