For the past six years, Army veteran Randy Wentworth, 62, has been assisted in daily life by his military service dog, Dennis.
HAILEY ROGENSKI | Allied News
POLK – Randy Wentworth, an Army veteran, heals his heart, mind and body with some help from Dennis, a service dog provided by Armstrong's Healing Heroes campaign.
Armstrong, the regional telecommunication services company, partners with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Inc. to provide veterans from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky with these furry heroes, Grove City Armstrong office supervisor and community marketing Manager Bree Freehling said.
Wentworth, 62, of Polk, formerly of Stoneboro, spent 10 years in the Army, from 1981 to 1991, and served one year with the Pennsylvania National Guard. During his time in the military, he was stationed in Germany, South Korea, Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood), a military base in Killeen, Texas and the Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pa.
He served in Signal Corps, where he began as a field wireman and later worked in multichannel communications.
Wentworth said Dennis helps him with medical struggles including anxiety and depression, caused by post-concussion syndrome, and detects his blood sugar levels.
"I sent like 90 cotton swabs with my saliva to Florida, where they come from, and they trained him with those so he can detect if my blood sugar is dropping," he said.
He said he wasn't wounded during the military, but was injured 17 years ago while working for Polk Center, the now-closed state mental hospital. He was injured by one of the patients, who dragged him by his hair and slammed his head into the ground, injuring his head and leaving him with from post-concussion syndrome. He also underwent two neck surgeries.
He said the injury affects his leg due to nerve damage in his leg.
Wentworth said he doesn't know what he would do without Dennis.
"At night, when he hears me moving in my chair, he'll sit up and go over and sit by the stairs and I say to him, 'are you ready?' and he'll go up the stairs," he said. "He always has to be first. He'll go up and stand at the top of the stairs and look down (to) make sure I'm coming up. Then, he comes up (on the bed), puts his head on my chest and lays beside me. I have occasional bad nightmares and he's trained to work with that and he will lay on top of me to settle me down or nudge me with his nose."
Wentworth said he has had Dennis for six years. He applied to get the dog after learning about the Healing Heroes Campaign from a clerk at the Armstrong Grove City office.
Wentworth said Dennis's required care includes 30 minutes of playtime daily, an exclusive diet of Call of the Wild dog food and pet health insurance. Sham-Pooch Professional Pet Grooming in Greenville cares for Dennis at no cost because he is a military service dog.
Wentworth said he hopes to adopt Dennis when the canine is retired.
