Wars inevitably exist in our reality and we have seen them happen over and over again. And the most unfortunate part is that there will always be people like soldiers who will be dragged into it to face the battle up front. Some lose their lives while some survive but have to live through the pain of the many physical and emotional injuries inflicted on them. No one goes out of it unscathed.
Thankfully, there are dogs who have been trained to provide comfort and guidance for these people. And ultimately, give them back the life they thought had been lost, just like in the story of one man named Tom Bolinder.
Tom Bolinder was a veteran of the Vietnam War and he was one of those who received awards for being a brave soldier. But being decorated with two Purple Hearts, a bronze star, and other accolades didn’t help with what the war did to him. He still had to live through the immense trauma and pain brought by the war.
He suffered serious physical and mental injuries that made life almost intolerable in more ways than one. And one of the main issues that he had to take on was the loss of his balance due to the effects of the chemicals that he was inevitably exposed to during the war. It was definitely hindering him from doing a lot of things and he decided that this wasn’t a fight he could take on alone.
And so, Bolinder enlisted the help of America’s VetDogs program where war veterans like him could get service dogs that would be able to help in their daily lives. The process took a while but the wait was well worth it. After several months of processing, the day finally came and Bolinder got to meet his friend and ally in the world named Burgundy.
What Burgundy lacked in military training, she made up for by bringing joy and helping Bolinder whenever he falls out of balance. She is so strong and reliable that Bolinder’s daughter Katie can completely trust her to take care of her dad. Burgundy has given him so much independence that he could now feel and live life again.
And that is why he highly recommends service dogs to other vets because he knows that just like him, they also need an ally like Burgundy.
Source: MSN
