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Honoring Those Who Make Our Freedoms Possible Meet Our 2019 Heroes
Meet Our 2019 Heroes Assistance Dogs Transforming Lives
Terry Henry & CAMPBELL Terry began training dogs over forty years ago. His early focus was with German Shepherds and ad- vanced obedience training. In the late 1990s he was introduced to Golden Retrievers and quickly fell in love with the breed. Terry served in the Military from 1972 to 1977 and from 1979 to 1987. Since his discharge, Terry has battled the symptoms of Com- plex/Chronic Post Traumatic Stress (CPTS) and Moral Injury. In 1999, he began training his own Psychiatric Medical Alert Assistance Dog to help mitigate his CPTS symptoms. From 2002 to 2006, Terry and his As- sistance Dogs worked in several special needs class- rooms, where he developed training protocols and methodologies for Assistance Dog utilization within the special education classroom environment. There, his Dogs worked with hundreds of special needs students, helping them to exceed their Individual Educational Plan requirements utilizing animal-as- sisted instruction. In 2009, after a decade of train- ing and working with his Psychiatric Medical Alert Assistance Dogs, he turned his attention to helping Veterans with PTS. He developed training protocols and methodologies wherein a Psychiatric Medical Alert Assistance Dog is used as an adjunct medical device that enables each Client to manage his or her PTS symptom set. Terry has supervised the place- ment of every paws4vets Psychiatric Medical Alert Assistance Dog with a Client since 2008. He has also expanded the utilization of this unique Psychiatric Medical Alert Assistance Dog/adjunct psychological therapeutic intervention application to other psy- chological diagnoses such as: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Dissociative Amnesia (DA), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and most importantly, PTS resulting from Sexual Trauma (ST). Terry was honored as ION TV’s Everyday Hero in 2015; and was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award in 2016.
Kyria Henry & WYATT Kyria is the Founder and Executive Director of paws4people foundation. She was raised with her father’s German Shepherds, and successfully convinced her family to “cross-over” to the Golden Retriever breed, receiving her first puppy when she was 10 years old. Since then, Kyria has been enveloped in the world of dog training, dabbling in disciplines such as ad- vanced obedience, agility, rally, behavior modification, and scent work; but her true love and expertise is As- sistance Dogs. Kyria founded paws4people foundation in 1999. During middle school, high school and college, Kyria worked with her certified Therapeutic Facility and Educational Facility Dogs in nursing homes, hospitals, and special education classrooms. Kyria graduated from West Virginia University summa cum laude from the Honors College with Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Religious Studies, and Speech Pathol- ogy and Audiology, with a specialization in Disability Studies. She then attended Bergin University of Canine Studies, earning a certification in Service Dog Educa- tion. While managing multiple Service Dog Training Programs, Kyria completed her Master’s Degree from Liberty University in Human Services- Marriage and Family Counseling, during which she assisted in the development of cutting-edge utilization of Psychiatric Service Dogs as adjunct therapeutic interventions with- in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy techniques. Currently, Kyria is the Program Director and Instructor of the University of North Carolina Wilming- ton Service Dog Training Program, the first and only comprehensive Service Dog academic certificate pro- gram at a state university. Most importantly dog mom to, Assistance Dog Ambassador and Demo Dog, WYATT, and her Search and Rescue Dog (In-Training) HOBBS.
Meet Our 2019 Heroes Assistance Dogs Transforming Lives
involves lots of people. He looks strong and happy on the outside, but that just means the pressure and fires are building to a breaking point on the inside. With MYER’s support, Clay is able to manage his PTS and be the husband and father he wants to be for his beautiful family.
SPC Andrew Doble, USA (ret.) & HARBOR Andrew served 12 years in the Army and was medically retired. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. His unit was rocketed almost every other day for several weeks and as a result he stays on high alert. He is diagnosed with PTS and TBI. Andrew suffers from headaches, sleep disturbances, memory issues and slower thinking. He feels disconnected from society, zones out and doesn’t enjoy going places anymore. HARBOR bumped with Andrew in March 2017! She will help Andrew by anchoring when he is anxious, interrupting negative behaviors and alerting him when people approach him from behind. HARBOR is a sweet black lab and is eager to help Andrew have a better quality of life.
Daniel Abram, USA Veteran Daniel is a US Army veteran, who served 8 years, includ- ing a tour during Operation Desert Storm. He suffers with PTS from his time in service, as well as anxiety. He avoids crowded areas, and doesn’t leave his home after dark. He lacks confidence in his daily life, and often feels isolated from his family and young children. Daniel met PENN in March 2018! PENN will help Daniel by anchoring when he is anxious, alerting to people behind him, as well as retrieving items that are out of his reach. PENN will also make life more tolera- ble for Daniel, allowing him better relationships with his family and friends.
Clay Fambro, USMC Veteran & MYER Clay served in the US Marine Corps. and toured overseas in Iraq shortly after the invasion. After seeing things that can’t be unseen, he struggles to deal with anything that
Meet Our 2019 Heroes Assistance Dogs Transforming Lives
SGT Jeff Mitchell USA (ret.) & AUSTIN Jeff served 2 combat tours in Iraq with the 2/3 ACR in 2003 and 2005. He was medically retired from the Army with severe Complex Post Traumatic Stress. By 2009, he was desperate to find relief and began training with paws4vets. Because of the support of paws4vets and his Assistance Dog, AUSTIN, Jeff is now a Peer Mentor with paws4vets helping other veterans learn how to use their dog to help with their symptoms. He and AUSTIN also speak to groups about the mission of paws4vets and the value of Assistance Dogs to make a difference in the lives of those who have served. AUS- TIN is Jeff’s second paws4vets Assistance Dog. His first dog, TAZIE, is enjoying her retirement and seems happy to let AUSTIN take over as Jeff’s partner. Jeff says that “AUSTIN is amazing, whenever I look at him he always seems to be smiling. He is my light in darkness and is able to guide me to a better frame of mind.
OSC Robert Bernish, USN (ret.) Robert spent a total of 27 years in the US Navy and Navy Reserve, including 6 combat tours. He’s been diag- nosed with PTS, as well as Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression. He often isolates himself from others, and the community as a whole. And because of his insom- nia, he finds it hard to get out of bed, lacks motivation (and energy) to complete everyday tasks, and frequent- ly suffers from nightmares and Apnea-induced breath- ing disruptions when he does sleep. He also experiences auditory hallucinations that frequently haunt him and nourish his anxieties. In March of 2018, Robert met RHODE! RHODE will give Robert the motivation and purpose he needs to face each day with a positive attitude, and to reconnect with his community. RHODE will also help by alerting to his anxiety, interrupting nightmares, and retrieving items that are out of his reach. We are excited to watch Robert and RHODE grow as a team!
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