Service dog helps a veteran get his life back
As a mammoth C-5 aircraft lumbered in the sky above southern Afghanistan in January 2002, Army medic Jaime Leon looked up and pondered the days ahead.
Wedged between camouflageclad soldiers and pallets of equipment, he finished reading about casualty collection points and combat stress as the transport approached Kandahar Air Base.
His new job was to render lifesaving aid to fellow soldiers. The Bronx native quickly learned that aid extended to maimed children who had stepped on mines left from the Soviet era.
“It was a bit of a shock,” Leon said. “There were times kids stepped on (an explosive) and others when people planting crops would get injured.”
When Leon returned home from the war zone, he had PTSD.
He got anxious at the sound of children on playgrounds. Sleep brought nightmares of missions he had gone on.
But in September 2013, help arrived. Leon no longer had to face those terrors alone. That’s when he was paired with Shadow, a German shepherd-rottweiler mix, through the K9s For Warriors program.
“She’s been trained for me, for my specific medical needs and post-traumatic stress,” said Leon, 44. “She’s made it to where I could transition to civilian life.”
The retired Army sergeant first class and Shadow are one of nearly 700 warrior-k9 teams that have graduated from a three-week training program. K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit, was founded in 2011 to reduce veteran suicides by providing trained service dogs to those suffering from traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder or military sexual trauma.
Many of the dogs are surrendered by owners or rescued from animal shelters.
Shadow is part of the family with Leon’s wife, Angela, 41, and children Jordan, 23; Cameron, 20; Gisela, 16; and Joshua, 13.
The veteran and Shadow are always in sync. Because of a hip injury caused by jumping from planes, Leon uses a cane when walking. If he drifts to one side, Shadow will lean into him to keep him stable. When Leon needs help standing, he grasps her harness and she pulls him up. And when he has nightmares, Shadow senses his anxiety and barks to disrupt the haunting images.
“She’s been a blessing for our family,” Angela Leon said. “I’m really grateful to K9s For Warriors. They’ve given us a lot of our freedom back. Having her there has been wonderful for my husband. I see the benefit.”
The oldest of four boys, Leon grew up in the Bronx, where he protected his siblings in a rough neighborhood. He attended a performing arts high school with students from across the country and as far away as Russia. Learning about other cultures from his classmates and a desire to see Michelangelo’s statue of David influenced his decision to enlist in the Army.
He would realize his dream of going to Italy, but first, Leon was deployed to Afghanistan for six months.
In 2003, after his deployment, Leon was stationed at Camp Darby, a small morale, welfare and recreation facility 45 minutes from the leaning tower of Pisa. That was followed by assignments at West Point and South Korea. Then an accumulation of injuries, including one to his spinal cord, set in motion pivotal career decisions.
In 2011, Leon was stationed at Fort Sam Houston and Fort Benning, Ga., in warrior transition units to determine if he would remain in the Army or be medically retired. He met a soldier with a service dog at Fort Benning who gave him details about applying for the K9s program.
After his application was accepted, Leon traveled to the nonprofit’s national headquarters in Ponte Vedra, Fla. For three weeks, the veteran and rescue dog were tethered together at the facility that could house up to 10 veterans.
Training days ran from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first week, Leon learned to give commands, such as sit and stay; Shadow keyed in on his voice inflections. The second week, Leon took the playful pup to lunch so she’d learn not to bark and stay under the table. The stress test for the veteran was going to the movies, coping with the darkness and people sitting behind him. It took two visits to the theater for Leon to feel at ease.
“It was an anxiety-inducing event,” he said. “I just focused on Shadow.”
Greg Wells, manager of programs for K9s For Warriors, said veterans are paired with dogs that match their lifestyle and personality. Warrior trainers of the program teach the classes.
“There’s a certain amount of camaraderie that comes with having a graduate teaching how official commands work and showing tips they’ve developed with their dog over time to make using them in public easier,” Wells said.
Wells, an Army veteran, said classes include the legal aspects of having a service dog, public access rights and integrating the dog into home, school and work environments.
“At the end, we have them take a public access test,” Wells said. “We’re confident once they pass that test that they can go home and work with the dog in the appropriate manner and be successful.”
Shadow is at the tail end of her working career, going out less and less. But the black-andgold service dog didn’t miss going with Leon to the opening of the Petco Love K9 Center, near Animal Care Services on the West Side. There, rescue dogs will be tested and receive veterinary care before formal training at the K9s For Warriors headquarters.
That September morning, Shadow sat near Leon and his son Joshua, alert and with her head up.
But in recent months, she’s showed her age. During trips to Disney World and New York City, Leon said she tired quickly.
He’s accepted that it won’t be long until he has to contact K9s For Warriors to request another dog that’s trained for mobility assistance and PTSD. Leon said it’s a phone call that he’s been delaying.
The new canine will fill his needs but can’t sever the bond between the veteran and his calming canine.
“The dog will definitely have to gel with the family,” Leon said, “and that includes Shadow.”