The dogs trained by Smoky Mountain Service Dogs and given free to military veterans and first responders are transforming lives − and saving them.
"It's not like your relationship with your dog or my relationship with my dog," said Vietnam-era Army veteran Mike Kitchens, who was part of the group that started the nonprofit. Its mobility assistance and psychiatric service dogs, disciplined labrador and golden retrievers, provide critical mental and physical support to those who have served.
"I've had veterans look me in the eye more than once, say, 'Mike, I wouldn't be here without my dog.' That's all the testimony I need," Kitchens told Knox News. The organization placed its first dog in 2013, and has since connected a total of 83 dogs with clients.
Service dogs are more than just a companion for veterans and first responders
Pups typically start their journey with Smoky Mountain Service Dog around 8 weeks old. Over the next two years, they receive between 1,500 and 1,800 hours of training and are touched by over 100 sets of hands, Kitchens said.
They learn to do tasks including retrieving a phone or medication, and to pick up items such as a leash or credit card off the floor. For clients with post-traumatic stress disorder, dogs master the ability to interrupt flashbacks and nightmares. They have to be physically strong too, and participate in exercises that strengthen their core.
The dogs are socialized by volunteers who take them around town. The Lenoir City facility is usually empty on weekends. "You know, because they're all out going to church or (the) grocery store," Kitchens said.
Once training is complete, dogs are intentionally matched with recipients. There's a home visit, then a week of remote learning, then a classroom training. Although the dogs are ultimately provided to recipients free of charge, the total cost for one dog's care and training is worth $22,000-25,000.
But the nonprofit has received meaningful support through the years. Kitchens recounted a particularly special gift from the American Valor Foundation, started by Wayne and Deby Kyle, parents of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle. They donated to the East Tennessee organization despite focusing mainly on funding groups in Texas.
If you'd like to contribute to the efforts of Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, you can donate on its website or purchase its specialty license plate.
"You can be in Afghanistan and lose a couple of legs, and you planned to spend a career in the military. What the hell you gonna do?" Kitchens said. "You get home, everything looks different. Everything feels different. And so what's your place? What's your place? What's your new normal gonna be? What's your future life going to be? It ain't going to be what you planned on it being. ... We just fill part of that gap."
Hayden Dunbar Evans is the storyteller reporter. Email: hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at subscribe.knoxnews.com
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Veterans and first responders get gift of a lifetime − a service dog
