Army veteran and Florida Legionnaire calls her dog Beth her ‘lifeline to safety.’
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. 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 U.S. Army veteran Dorthea Pilkons, a member of Post 90 in Cape Coral, Fla. She shares how her service dog Beth has brought back into her life things she once took for granted before losing them.
My dog Beth and I are graduates of America’s VetDogs. She spent two years learning her skills to be my companion and at times alerts me. I spent two weeks to become her handler at AVD center located in Smithtown, N.Y.
I am an Army Veteran and have military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder rated at 70 percent. It took me 10 years of appeals, and I had to go to federal court in Boston to receive my service-connected rating for it. I am also rated at 40 percent for hearing loss. Both problems have had a deep impact on my daily life – both due to my military service. Beth is trained to assist with these medical needs.
I was very hyper-vigilant, and prior to having Beth it was very difficult to shop, as I needed distance between myself and strangers. She has been trained to create that space which I need to be comfortable. I also suffer from nightmares, and they were on a very regular basis. I would wake up and have difficulty going back to sleep. I was up for hours. She wakes me before these by licking my face and snuggles close, and I go back to sleep. She has helped with my sleeping better. I am far more comfortable doing daily tasks outside my home. The biggest bonus is I am taking far less sleep medication before bed. More quality sleep time has made a major difference in my life.
Beth’s training for my hearing loss has been extremely beneficial. I have hearing aids; they help, but do not completely replace natural hearing. If I do not hear my name being called, she nudges me. If someone is approaching from behind, she alerts me. She has been trained to alert me to doorbells, someone knocking at the door and the phone ringing. Hearing aids can’t be worn to bed, so she also is trained to waken me if a warning such as a fire alarm goes off. Beth has given my comfort zone for my deafness back. She is my lifeline to safety.
Beth has become a great gift, making my life comfortable and returning some of life’s things we take for granted back again. I can go places without stress. She is the safety factor needed for combatting my hearing loss and has become my partner, reducing my anxiety from this disability, as well as restoring shopping and going other places because of my PTSD.
- Veterans Healthcare