Michael was first introduced to paws4people by his daughter, who was a student in the UNCW SDTP. Anytime she would bring dogs around him that she was training, he felt a love that he hadn’t felt in years. After serving 28 years in the Army, with deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan, Michael was left with haunting memories from his many years of combat. He is diagnosed with PTSD, and TBI, leaving him with bouts of flashbacks and irritability. Michael experiences anxiety in public places, often leading to him not leaving his home for days and weeks at a time. In addition, Michael also experiences chronic back and leg pain from years of Airborne jumps, and now walks with a cane.
Michael met LINCOLN in July 2018 and instantly knew he had a new best friend! LINCOLN will help Michael by retrieving dropped items, anchoring to his anxiety, alerting him to people coming up behind him, and waking him from nightmares. With LINCOLN as his battle buddy, Michael will have the confidence he was lacking to leave his home, and truly live life with his wife and family!
