‘He is the reason’: Veteran credits service dog for saving his life
By Jennifer Franciotti
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SEVERNA PARK, Md. (WBAL) — A U.S. Army veteran is crediting America’s VetDogs with saving his life after losing all hope while dealing with the aftermath of injuries — including loss of mobility, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
With his soulful eyes and gentle spirit, Mark Patton is the first to tell you that his dog, Shayne, is the reason why he is still alive.
“He is the reason,” Patton told WBAL-TV 11 News. “I am not sure I would have been around for Christmas this year without Shayne, and that’s scary to think of. But it really is that powerful.”
Patton suffered multiple serious injuries while serving for more than 20 years, mostly overseas in countries like Iraq and Kuwait.
“Multiple traumatic brain injuries, (even) one where I was in a coma,” Patton said. “We were in a vehicle rollover in a Humvee, and my right leg got pinned down. This is not my original nose.”
After medical retirement two years ago, Patton lost his ability to walk.
“I had lost so much of my independence. It was really hard,” Patton told WBAL-TV 11 News. “I had lost hope. I had no reason to live.”
After almost a year on a waitlist, Patton was matched with Shayne in October at the America’s VetDogs facility in New York.
“It felt like a reunion even though I had never met him,” Patton told WBAL-TV 11 News.
Shayne provides mobility and support for PTSD to Patton.
“My wife and kids, I would wake up crying and screaming and wake them up. And now, he wakes me up and it’s just a relief,” Patton told WBAL-TV 11 News. “The first time he did (the) REST command, where he comes and he does pressure therapy, it regulated my breathing right away. I have this door, the heaviest commercial-grade door. I can give him a command, and he can open doors for me.”
America’s VetDogs provides veterans, active-duty service members and first responders who have disabilities with a fully trained service dog, like Shayne, for free. It costs the nonprofit organization more than $50,000 to breed or raise and train just one dog.
“They are the reason that I’m here, and it’s a gift that keeps on giving,” Patton told WBAL-TV 11 News.
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