Page 827 - Total War on PTSD

Chance has become my best friend although he has a coat of fur and I don’t. If I am seated or laying down, he makes a point to be within two feet of me or lying beside me while touching me. He falls asleep by my side every night and again, he makes a point to have constant contact. I have found that his closeness is extremely comforting. I guess knowing that a dog relies on me too makes me feel like I am special...even if it’s through a dog’s eyes. I have also noticed that unlike humans, if I scold him for tearing up a stuffed animal, he will still wag his tail when I look at him and want to be close. Not everything is rainbows and unicorns with having a Service Dog.
When out in public, people stare at you. People want to come up and either pet the dog or ask questions. People tend to stereotype or judge simply because there is a Service Dog by your side. They will not hesitate to come up and ask you why you have a Service Dog...which is illegal by the way. I’ve heard people talk about me in public and tell their kids that I “must be crazy” because I’m not blind or deaf. With all of that being said, looking down at my dog tends to calm the anger down almost instantly. Like I said above, Chance has become my best friend.
I am not sure I could leave the house without him. I guess you can say that we both have had our second “chance” and can sense it with each other. We established a bond immediately and he stays by my side at all times.
I am currently undergoing treatment by both a civilian psychiatrist and the VA Mental Health Center. I have been talking to the VA psychiatrists and counsellors about my issues and what they call Military Sexual Trauma or MST. I am now finding the confidence, slowly, I once had to speak out for others who might have been or who might be in the situation I was in with physical or sexual abuse. I endured my past so that I could continue to live and strengthen others. That is my mission. I am still happily married and I work as an Assistant Veteran
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