A U.S. Army and Marine veteran from Colorado said his best friend, who happens to be a yellow Labrador, saved his life in February.
Hank Ford suffers from PTSD, but his service dog, Tommy, has helped him cope and given him more confidence, ABC 11 reported Tuesday.
Tommy was given to him by the nonprofit group Dogs, Inc., and the pair have become quite close.
When asked how much the dog has changed his life, Ford said it was “night and day,” adding, “Everybody that knows me, they’re just like, they can’t believe the difference in me.”
It is Tommy’s habit to wake his master in the morning around 7:00 a.m., but on that morning in February, the canine woke him earlier.
Ford recalled, “He was hitting me in the chest. He wasn’t coming up to my face. He was, he was literally hitting me in the chest.” Tommy’s behavior made Ford realize there was something wrong, and he went to the hospital.
He later learned he was experiencing an irregular, rapid heartbeat and the doctor told the veteran if Tommy had not acted as he did, he may not have woken up and could have suffered a massive stroke.
The veteran is now on the mend and feeling more like himself. He is grateful for his special dog’s intelligence, adding, “He saved my life,” per WTSP.
He also hopes more veterans will consider getting a service dog.
“A lot of veterans, they won’t get a dog because they think people look at you different when you’re walking through a store. But a dog makes a huge difference,” he explained.
When speaking of his best companion, Ford said, “Everybody always talks about, you know, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. It was a dark spot. He turned the lights on.”
According to the Dogs, Inc. website, service dogs provide restored hope and newfound freedom.
