Page 1009 - Total War on PTSD

door first but nothing happened. Duke was right behind Duchess, and he used her as a springboard, hurtling himself into the top half of the bedroom door. Down it went! Both kids were just fine but everyone thought they were in trouble, including the dogs.
Duke and I, and now Sasha, look forward to the summers when we can take the camper and go camping with the grandkids for the weekend. It's great to see the kids playing outside without any television, and Duke loves being with them. It's a time when he can just be a dog and play ball, but I still know that he'd be there in a heartbeat if I need him. Duke and I have traveled a lot together. We went on a cruise for seven days. That trip was especially difficult with a big dog like Duke and there was a lot of paperwork necessary just to get a Service Dog on the ship. They had to have a special place for him to go to the bathroom, and they provided doggie pads for my room. Flying wasn't as difficult. Duke handling flying very well when he was younger, but since he's gotten older, I don't fly much with him anymore.
Duke is getting old, and the hardest part of that is ultimately losing him for good. He's been with me for so long, and he has changed so many people's lives, not just my own. I'll always remember his smile and the way he loves to have his belly rubbed. There will never be another dog like him. He brings a smile to my face and knows how to make me laugh. He gives me hope that every day will be a great one. At night, when it's getting close to bedtime, a Duke lies quietly at the foot of the steps and waits for us to head upstairs so he can go to bed. He'll lie on his bed and watch us. Sometimes I think he knows when we're talking about him because he'll grumble at us as if to tell us that he knows exactly what we're saying.
If I wake up in the middle of the night because I am having a flashback of the war, Duke will comfort me and let me know everything is okay. He is always there when I'm having a bad night and my PTSD kicks in. I've been waking up like this every night for over 10 years now, and the nightmares I live through each and every night of my life will haunt me until I am in the ground. But even though I fight these demons constantly, I refuse to give up, and I try to have a normal life. Having Duke with me for the past decade has helped me tremendously to achieve that kind of normal life. Remembering back through the years of Duke's life, I realize just how much he has done for me...not to mention all of the experiences we have had. We met the President of the
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