HRT K9
Contributed by Heather Hart
I almost lost my husband, Justin, to suicide. Four times that I’m aware of, but I know there were other attempts. The first time came as an earth-shattering shock. I had no idea he was struggling, that depression and worthlessness had been a part of his life since childhood. Like so many others fighting this battle, he hid his pain really well. One minute we were making weekend plans, and the next… I still thank God frequently that I got there in time.
Over the following three years, he went to inpatient treatment six times, both for depression and PTSD and for the alcohol addiction that became part of his attempt to control them. Nothing seemed to have a lasting effect. After being medically retired from the Air Force and joining the civilian work force, my husband spiraled worse than ever and relapsed. Again. We were desperate. HE was desperate. He wanted to get better. He had heard good things about a program called Warrior’s Heart in Bandera, Texas. He called them and asked for help. Just before Christmas, he entered inpatient treatment for the seventh time. That decision changed everything.
Warrior’s Heart has a kennel program where patients are given the opportunity to train their own service dog under the guidance and teaching of experienced trainers. Justin really enjoyed the training process and discovered that he had a natural gift for dog training. When he would text pictures of his day he looked HAPPY for the first time in years. There was a light in his eyes that I had wondered if I would ever see again. After such a long road our kids and I began to experience hope.
During his time in the kennels, Justin formed a strong bond with a little German shepherd/Belgian malinois mix named Lexie. They went on hikes together and chilled together in her kennel after particularly stressful days. Lexie began attending therapy sessions with Justin and learned to tell when he was anxious or disassociating and how to help him during a flashback. When Justin came home seven months later, Lexie came too.
Adopting Lexie as his service dog saved Justin’s life. Having her at his side gave him the ability to start living again- engaging in community, regaining his independence, and looking forward to the future. Working with dogs gave him a sense of purpose and enjoyment. We were overjoyed to find ourselves in a new season of reconciliation and so grateful that God was faithful to restore relationships that felt too broken to fix. We knew, as a family, that dog training would be a part of our next chapter.
We started our nonprofit, HRT K9, because we know first-hand that a service dog can be the difference between life and death. More than anything, we want to bring the same hope and healing that we experienced to other individuals and families who are walking through the same struggles that we did. At HRT K9 we train and provide service dogs to Veterans at no cost to the Veteran. Typically, a fully trained service dog costs anywhere from $20,000-$40,000- well beyond what most disabled Veterans can afford. We don’t want that to be a barrier to the life-saving impact a service dog can bring, and we believe that Veterans have already paid enough.
Our intent is to source the majority of our service dog candidates from local shelters and rescues. Right now, in our kennel we have five one-year-old rescue pups- Jessie, James, Nora, Theodore, and Eobard- who will be ready to be matched with a Veteran this winter. Additionally, if a Veteran already has a dog that has the correct temperament and aptitude for service work, we can work with the Veteran to train their dog. We are currently working with seven Veterans and their dogs.
Our vision is about more than just the dogs, though. While service dogs change lives, it’s also true that recovery doesn’t happen in isolation. We want veterans and others in our community who are living in isolation and without any hope to have a place where they belong. Where they can gather and experience community and family. Our future goal is to build a kennel facility to house and train up to 10 dogs at a time. We will also build a community gathering space for reunions and doggy play dates as well as family style dinners and game nights.
Long story short, we want what God has done for us to spread across this valley, and further. We want to see individuals in recovery and families united and whole. It’s a big mission and it will take the support of our community to make it happen. Because we do not charge for our services, we rely on donations and fundraising to be able to continue the work that we’re doing with dogs and Veterans. If you would like to learn more about us and consider partnering with us to save lives, check us out at hrtk9.org.