New York Legion post commander and his dog Taffy are ‘stronger together.’
National Service Dog Day was 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. We will continue to publish those stories throughout September.
Submit your own story and photo on www.legiontown.org in the “Why I Love My Service Animal” section.
Our latest in the series is from New York Carmel-Kent Post 270 Commander Brennan Mahoney, who deployed multiple times during a 28-year career in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. His service dog Taffy has changed how he views the world and his place in it.
Taffy, my new service dog from America’s VetDogs, has changed many things in my life, not the least of which is how I view the world and my place in it. Taffy has shown me that there are other ways of looking at a situation that present themselves in myday-to-day routines. She has taught me that I need to be more relaxed in dealing with her and other issues, and she has made me stay more in the present and expend less energy on worrying about what has already been or what may occur in the future. She shows me, daily, that I must live in the moment and get as much out of “now” as I possibly can or miss the moment completely.
The process of learning the skills needed to work with Taffy were not easy for me,- given my memory deficit due to TBI. Nor does learning to work with her happen quickly, but together my service dog and I work as a team, and when I am doing my part, she does hers, and the outcome benefits both of us with positive experiences and an honest way of looking at life. This has been a profound change for me!
Taffy helps me with specific tasks, such as creating space between me and other people in crowds. She also aides me in navigating places and situations that can be stressful and overwhelming. The “rest” command calls for her to rest her chin on my knee until released, and has a profoundly calming affect on me when I get agitated or upset.
There are many more daily tasks that help improve my day and my interactions with the world at large. But, first and foremost, she has helped me become a part of a team again, like when I was in the service. And together, my new team can accomplish so much more than either of us could have previously done alone. She has really turned my focus and may life towards a “high value” target of working cooperatively, rather than just existing in the world as I was doing. I am a whole person again, not just a list of disabilities. She is a joy (and a responsibility), that I truly get much more from than any effort the relationship requires of me.
Taffy helps make me whole again! After just a short time after graduating from America’s VetDogs training with Taffy, I can hardly remember how I existed alone in the world. My team, Taffy and I, are most definitely stronger together.
- Veterans Healthcare