How my canine companion inspired me to serve other Veterans in need

Pictured Dog: RoRo named after USMC Sergeant Johanny Rosario Pichardo, who was killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan

Sheltering in place. Self-medicating. Feeling anxious. For a time, that’s how I experienced the effects of a service-related traumatic brain injury. The pain nearly consumed me.

I joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and deployed in 2006 to Fallujah, Iraq, where I sustained a head wound from a roadside bomb attack. I finished my tour in the infantry, returned home, and landed a job. But even though my outside wounds had healed, I felt on edge, couldn’t sleep and had trouble leaving the house.

At one point, I thought: If things don’t change, I’m going to lose everything I worked so hard to achieve. At the time, it was difficult to find the mental health care I needed to treat what I later understood to be symptoms of TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

I eventually decided to get a pet dog. I figured this new furry friend would at least get me outside for walks to the park and around the neighborhood.

Spreading canine companionship to other Veterans -

I soon realized that caring for Koda was key to my recovery, and had inspired my new purpose: To be part of an organization connecting fellow Veterans in need with service dogs and other resources.

I studied how to train my and other dogs to become certified service dogs. In 2021, I arrived at Clear Path for Veterans New England to train service dogs for my fellow Veterans in need.

After I left the military, I found it therapeutic to be around other Veterans — people with similar experiences to my own. The notion of being a surrogate family for Veterans also informs Clear Path’s mission: We are a safe, supportive and respectful place for Veterans to find what they need to get well and live full lives.

In addition to pairing Veterans with service dogs, we provide many other supportive services, including peer-to-peer mentoring, employment and housing referrals, and cutting-edge therapy for brain injuries. We also offer warm meals and food pantry items and host music nights, exercise and art classes, comedy shows and other social activities.

Helping Veterans experiencing symptoms of PTSD, TBI, MST -

Clear Path’s service dog program specializes in assisting Veterans with symptoms specific to diagnoses of PTSD, TBI and Military Sexual Trauma. Clear Path places about eight Veterans per year with service dogs, which are specially trained canines permitted to go almost anywhere their human owner can go, with rights protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Trained service dogs know how to help Veterans experiencing symptoms related to their diagnosis. For instance, when my PTSD causes me anxiety, I might tap my foot. My service dog recognizes that as a sign to jump onto my lap, check in and elevate my mood. When I have nightmares, my dog lays on top of me for comfort or wakes me up by turning on the lights.

We train service dogs so they can also support Veterans with mobility and balance issues and co-occurring physical disabilities.

Training service dogs in a peer-to-peer setting -

Our program is unique in that we encourage Veterans to come to Clear Path to help train their own or one of our dogs, which are sometimes named after fallen service members. One such service dog in training, depicted in the photo above, is Roro, a golden retriever. Roro is named in honor of Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, who was killed in 2021, at age 25, in the pullout from Afghanistan. Pichardo’s family has met Roro and supports Clear Path in keeping their daughter’s memory alive by giving back to other Veterans.

The on-site training experience gives Veterans a reason to get out of their element and renew their purpose in life — and dogs don’t judge. While here, Veterans define their wellness goals, match with a compatible canine companion and connect with our Veteran community.

During training, Veterans swap stories with their peers and find lifelong friends. Veterans learn how to handle service dogs, and service dogs learn how to read behavioral cues. Veteran-service dog pairs are taught how to navigate public spaces and day-to-day life together. And Veterans can take advantage of all of Clear Path’s other services, almost all available for free.

In general, in this industry, it takes about one to two years to train a service dog at a cost of about $25,000 to $30,000. Even then, only about 40% of dogs successfully complete the training. However, Clear Path canines that don’t become full-fledged service dogs are redeployed as emotional support dogs. Veterans can bring these canines almost anywhere other dogs can go. Although their training is more limited, they provide Veterans with valuable companionship and assistance.

I am happy to talk to other Veterans about the Clear Path’s service dog and other programs.

Learn more:

• I’ve experienced a decline in my health and wellness since being in the military and am interested in learning about Clear Path for Veterans New England: https://rly.pt/ClearPathNE
• I haven’t experienced a decline in my health and wellness since being in the military but want to learn more about VA benefits for guide and service dogs: https://rly.pt/3FKZkZY

I have served in the U.S. military and would like to learn more about Veteran benefits from the VA: https://rly.pt/3LYAgCL