Page 919 - Total War on PTSD

Through the generosity of breeders, Battle Buddies starts training puppies at eight weeks old until they are placed around 18 months. They also rely on puppy raiser families to socialize puppies during that time and take them to obedience training and all their medical visits. Veterans are matched with their battle buddy half way through the puppies training to start the bond. Through fundraising and donations, Battle Buddies has continued to grow to place more Service Dogs with needy Veterans each year. The goal of Battle Buddies is to return the veteran to civilian life with independence.
Camouflage (aka Cami) is Campbell’s birth mother. I was really excited when Jo Anne from Battle Buddies called me and said they had a dog for me if I wanted him. She explained that he had a defect from an infection that was passed to him through his mother and he could only see shadows in one of his eyes, while he was able to see normally in the other. This issue doesn’t slow him down or hinder him from doing his job in any way. Around July of 2016, we agreed to meet at my house. At first Campbell was a bit shy but once he was off his leash, he came directly to me. When John took him to the backyard, he met Jackson and Killer; Jackson’s first greeting was lifting his leg on him (Campbell moved just in time). I felt the bonding with Campbell already beginning. I started traveling to the upstate in September of 2016 to train and continue bonding with Campbell. It was during my first visit that I heard something “crash” and I had an anxiety attack. Campbell came directly to me, leaned up against me and then looked at my face as if to tell me “I’m here for you”. During some of our training sessions, John and I would take Campbell on walks and I would practice the commands (heel, closer, step, etc.) John would give. During other training sessions, Jo Anne and I would take Campbell to public places and work on some of the same and some other commands (block, cover, closer, etc.).
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