ALBANY — When disabled veteran David Kelley left his home for Jacksonville, Fla., to train with his service dog, Bert, a pure-bred English Labrador, he was taking "22 or 23 medications" to help him deal with post-traumatic stress disorder associated with his military service during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
By the time Kelley and Bert returned home three weeks later, Kelley "got rid of" all of his medications but one.
"It's all about the bond," Kelley said Saturday as he and Bert took part in the Mental Health Awareness Community Fair at Mount Zion Baptist Church.
That bond between man and animal has, Kelley said, changed his life dramatically.
"My wife told me after about 45 days with Bert: 'You're the man I fell in love with again,'" Kelley said. "You can't imagine how good it feels to get to be a dad again to my kids, not just a father."
Kelley, who doesn't talk about his military service, said when his doctor at the Navy Hospital in Jacksonville mentioned the K-9s for Warriors program during a visit, he had no immediate interest. But after "nearing my wits end, praying hard and in a very dark place," Kelley reached out to the organization.
"They asked me questions about my life and my lifestyle," said Kelley, who notes he and his family are homesteading on land in the area. "Then they matched me with a dog, and it turned out to be the perfect one. Except for when I go hunting or to a very few places where animals are not allowed, we go everywhere together.
"Bert and I are so in tune, if I start to have a nightmare, he knows it and wakes me up. He senses the tension, sits on my chest and licks my face. I always wake up before I actually have the nightmare. And if I start to fall, he braces me. If he can't take care of me, he gets help. That's such a blessing."
Kelley, who said he and his family raise cows, chickens and dairy goats, has been deemed "unemployable" by the VA. Even so, thanks to Bert and the love of his family, he's in a good place now.
"I went from a very dark place to getting my life back," he said. "Bert played a big part in that. He's my friend; he's got my back."
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By the time Kelley and Bert returned home three weeks later, Kelley "got rid of" all of his medications but one.
"It's all about the bond," Kelley said Saturday as he and Bert took part in the Mental Health Awareness Community Fair at Mount Zion Baptist Church.
That bond between man and animal has, Kelley said, changed his life dramatically.
"My wife told me after about 45 days with Bert: 'You're the man I fell in love with again,'" Kelley said. "You can't imagine how good it feels to get to be a dad again to my kids, not just a father."
Kelley, who doesn't talk about his military service, said when his doctor at the Navy Hospital in Jacksonville mentioned the K-9s for Warriors program during a visit, he had no immediate interest. But after "nearing my wits end, praying hard and in a very dark place," Kelley reached out to the organization.
"They asked me questions about my life and my lifestyle," said Kelley, who notes he and his family are homesteading on land in the area. "Then they matched me with a dog, and it turned out to be the perfect one. Except for when I go hunting or to a very few places where animals are not allowed, we go everywhere together.
"Bert and I are so in tune, if I start to have a nightmare, he knows it and wakes me up. He senses the tension, sits on my chest and licks my face. I always wake up before I actually have the nightmare. And if I start to fall, he braces me. If he can't take care of me, he gets help. That's such a blessing."
Kelley, who said he and his family raise cows, chickens and dairy goats, has been deemed "unemployable" by the VA. Even so, thanks to Bert and the love of his family, he's in a good place now.
"I went from a very dark place to getting my life back," he said. "Bert played a big part in that. He's my friend; he's got my back."
Service dog plays key role in Georgia veteran's recovery
ALBANY — When disabled veteran David Kelley left his home for Jacksonville, Fla., to train with his service dog, Bert, a pure-bred English Labrador, he was taking “22 or 23
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