Service dog ‘life changing’ for Sequim military veteran

For some military veterans, the wounds of war are invisible, but ever present.

“I have PTSD,” Mike Abkem told KIRO Newsradio.

It’s a condition Abkem said he developed during two tours in Iraq. He said he first noticed the symptoms when he became fearful of going into crowds.

“I used to not even go out,” he shared. “Like if my wife wanted to go shopping, I’d just stay at home, or if (my family) wanted to go to the fair or any type of activity like that, I would just stay at home because of the crowds.”

Abkem and his wife have seven children, five of whom still live at home with them in Sequim. He said PTSD not only affected him, but also his entire family.

Then, he found Scotty.

“Scotty? He’s special,” Abkem said, beaming.

Sequim military veteran matched with service dog through nonprofit

Scotty is a pure-bred English lab and service animal he was connected with through K9s for Warriors.

“Our program is provided at no cost to the veterans because we are a nonprofit and because of generous donors we have in our program,” spokeswoman Carly Kramer explained.

She said K9s for Warriors is the United States’ largest provider of trained service dogs for veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma—in short, the hidden wounds of war.

Kramer said the program goes beyond matching a veteran with a dog.

“Every veteran goes through a three-week training program with their service dog that has already been trained for six to eight months, and that three-week training period is for the veteran to really find that irreplaceable bond with a service dog,” she shared.

After training, she said, “We send them home and keep up with their journey. Whether they’ve been in our program five months ago or five years ago, we’re still keeping up with their journeys.”

Military veteran lives life more at ease

For Abkem, those journeys now include what once seemed impossible.

“Going through crowds and stuff,” he said, noting the fear eases with his service dog beside him.

And Abkem said Scotty can sense when he’s in trouble.

“If I have an anxiety attack, I could have him lay down on my lap, putting pressure on my legs to relieve some of the anxiety and give me something to concentrate on as he’s trying to help me relax my body and center myself on him,” he explained.

Abkem said service animals can truly be life-changing for veterans and their families.

“He is my best friend, that’s not human,” he shared.

Read more of Heather Bosch’s stories here.

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