Therapy Dog Helps Air Force Veteran Deal With Her Past And Get Her Life Back

Stacy Pearsall was a former Staff Sergeant that served as a photojournalist for the United States Air Force. She served three combat tours and has since retired because of injuries she has sustained during her service. She has continued her work in photography and aims to document and promote the stories of her fellow veterans. As a result of her injuries, Stacy suffers from frequent seizures, has cervical spine trauma, traumatic brain injury, and some loss of hearing. Like most military veterans, she kept most of these injuries by herself. But after one very traumatic seizure, she knew that she needed to get help.

Charlie

Stacy was inspired to get a service dog after seeing the relationship that one of them had with a fellow veteran. At first, she felt that she didn't deserve one. Some veterans had worse injuries than her and maybe they deserve it more. But after some encouragement, she decided to apply for one. Her application was approved. It didn't take long to find a dog that was matched with her. And soon enough, she met Charlie. According to Stacy, she was a nervous wreck moments before meeting Charlie. But after being introduced to each other, all she saw was a beautiful dog. Her whole life changed after that. Charlie's presence alone helps her release stress and keep her mind out of her troubles.

A great help

With the therapy dog's special training, she had someone who helped her with everyday life. This includes alerting her whenever someone is at the door, waking her up when she has some night terrors, and offering support whenever she needs to get up or move. The helpful dog also reminds her to rest and take a breather. Stacy tends to overwork herself, but because Charlie is there, and he needs to take a walk from time to time, Stacy is forced to stop working and go out with her dog. But the dog doesn't just help Stacy, he helps a lot of veterans too. Charlie is always by his mom's side, including the times when she is working. The service dog helps calm the veterans and offers them solace. Stacy hopes that her beloved dog would inspire others to acknowledge their difficulties and get service dogs to help them out. Source: The Dodo via Youtube