Page 1008 - Total War on PTSD

Without Duke, I know I probably would have committed suicide. Duke freed me from my worst fears, and in doing so, he gave me my life back. I have an alarm system in my house with a panic button set up just for Duke so that, when I am home alone, in case of emergency, he can activate the panic button. I also have a special lock on my door that he can unlock to allow medics to come in and assist me. On many occasions over the years during emergencies Duke has known exactly what to do for me. On every single occasion he was saving my life. One night, I had a seizure even though I had taken my medication. He knew exactly what to do. He hit the panic button and it called 911 for me. He barked to the person talking over the system, and they dispatched help to the house. Duke unlocked the door and waited for the paramedics to arrive and he accompanied me to the hospital. That night he truly saved my life. This just goes to show how wonderful these dogs are, and how wonderful it is to have them in our lives.
I really don't know what I would do without Duke. Duke is one of those million-in-one dogs who is there to love you when you're down and pick you up when you need it. I think about that all of the time because he is getting up in age, and I know that someday he will be gone and leave me here all alone. He is my baby. He knows my every thought and mood and all of my ups and downs. When we were younger, we had the world at our feet, but now we are both getting old and tired. I really do love looking back to think about all of the fun times we have had in our years together. From the moment I first held him in my arms as a newborn puppy, I knew he special. And he has been beside me every step of my journey. I just never thought when I first got him 14 years ago that he would become my savior. Just knowing that he is always there to wake me up from a bad nightmare or to make sure that I take my medication is a blessing. He is not only my best friend for life but also my life saver.
There was the time that Duke and I had to raise five baby kittens because their mother died shortly after giving birth. All I had to do was bottle-feed them, and Duke took care of the rest — cleaning them up after I fed them, keeping them safe and warm at night, and teaching them how to use the litter box. Another time, when my kids were little, they were playing in my daughters’ room, and they both gave big screams. Both dogs — Duchess our family German Shepard, and Duke — popped up and charged down the hallway to investigate. Duchess hit my daughter’s
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