U.S. Navy veteran and Oklahoma Post 184 Commander Carrie Moore shares her story of her service dog Ruger.
National Service Dog Day falls on Sept. 20 and is designed to honor the role of service dogs in the lives of people with disabilities and America's veterans. The day was designated by Congress in 2023 and is part of September’s National Service Dog Month.
We asked you to share how your service dog has impacted your life, so we can share your story with others. Today we are publishing the first in that series and will continue to do so ahead of and throughout September.
You can still share your stories – and photos of you with your dog – one of two ways:
· Email sbrooks@legion.org.
· Submit your story and photo on www.legiontown.org in the “Why I Love My Service Animal” section.
Our first in the series is from U.S. Navy veteran Carrie Moore, commander of American Legion Post 184 in Moore, Okla., and the reigning Ms. Achievement USA. The 2025 Oklahoma Veteran of the Year shares her experience with her service dog Ruger.
Ruger came into our family in January of 2021. He was found running along I-40 in Yukon before being taken in by a local nonprofit and bounced around to four different foster homes; we were the fifth. The last home was planning to drop him off at the OKC animal shelter to be euthanized. With (my husband) Matt’s 20-plus years’ experience with working K9s, we felt well-equipped to take him without even knowing much about his history. Making him a service dog was not on our radar.
In 2023 Ruger began alerting me to heart rate changes and being that I have a heart condition – Wolffe Parkinson White syndrome – we began his training to become a service dog. We shaped that alert and taught him how to help me once it happens with DPT: deep pressure therapy. His tasks continually evolved.
Ruger was on over 20 airline flights and traveled to eight different states. He was by my side when we competed on a national stage for Ms. Veteran America, placing us in the top 10. He was recognized by The American Legion for being the second service dog to complete National American Legion College. Ruger also was vital in assisting his handler as she wrote claims specifically for those veterans suffering from trauma, either PTSD or MST (military sexual trauma), which goes above and beyond for a service dog.
Ruger passed in October of 2025 after an aggressive sudden battle with cancer. The bond a service dog and handler has is indescribable! And I am so thankful to have had him in my life. I realize that he had a huge impact not only on me, but also the veteran community. More people knew Ruger and remembered his name than remembered mine, and I am totally OK with that.
- Veterans Healthcare