Page 1007 - Total War on PTSD

right out of the boat. I didn't have a ladder for him to climb back in so I had my nephew drive the boat to shore while Duke and I swam alongside each other. Luckily it was a short swim. Ever since then, I've always brought a ladder when we go boating so Duke can get back into the boat.
In the summer, when I felt up to getting out of the house, Duke and I would go to the beach and just hang out. Even if we didn't go into the water, the sound of the ocean always calmed me down. Duke likes lying on his blanket and watching people go by. I can look back on days like that and see how wonderful Duke had been to me. He got me out of the house to do things I never thought I would do. Then was the summer we went to the beach, and I never even had the chance to take off his harness — he just ran and dove into the waves. He was just happy to go and play with me at the beach.
I'd ask him if he wanted to go swimming, and his face would light up like a Christmas tree. Duke's love of swimming forced me to get out for short periods of time and be 'normal'. We would head to the beach and get everything set up for me on shore, and then I would let him go. Off he would run into the water, just like a duck, swimming away.
Looking back, there were times when I worried whether Duke would ever become a functioning Service Dog, but I figured puppies would be puppies. He was not only my best friend by also my partner in crime. We have done a lot together through the years and have gone on many different trips — to Arkansas to see my family, fishing, swimming, hiking and camping. You name it, we've done it.
Duke taught me how to live — again and again, every day. He somehow knew when my PTSD was rearing its ugly head, and he would hunt me down. He seemed to know how I was feeling and would try his best to keep me focused so that I could function and complete the day-to-day projects that normal people can do without thinking. One time, I was having a really bad day, and he came to me with his little ball and dropped it at my feet. He wanted me to pick it up and throw it for him...wanted me to focus on him instead of my PTSD. Somehow, he knew I was going on a mental trip that I shouldn't be going on. That's just one small example of the way he saved my life.
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