Army veteran and Virginia Legionnaire was so inspired by his service dogs that he wrote a book about them.
National Service Dog Day was 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 Army veteran Toby Yarbrough, a member of American Legion Post 327 in Norfolk, Va., and his dogs Duke and Sasha. Both of his service dogs have helped him lead a full life.
I served in the Army from 1983 to 2003. In 2001 I was deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom. In January 2002, I had an accident which cause me to have seizure. In 2003, the doctor told me that I had to have a service animal for my seizure.
I got Duke, my German Shepard, in 2003, and he cost me $40,000. Back then, there were two places to get a service animal. In 2010 the (Americans with Disabilities Act) changed to have PTSD added as a disability. Since then there are over 200 organizations that train service animals.
In 2016 I had to start getting another service animal trained because Duke was getting old. That’s when I got Sasha, who was trained to become my second service animal for seizures. Both of my service animals have helped me in the past 23 years to live a full life. It got me to write a book called “The Quiet Healing,” in which it was turned into a documentary film called “The Quiet Healing.” The film can be seen on Reveel.
- Veterans Healthcare