Mansfield veteran says service dog has changed her life

MANSFIELD - A Mansfield Army veteran suffering from combat post traumatic stress disorder says her service dog has given her back her life.

Cherolyn Chambers was the first veteran in Ohio given a service dog through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her first dog, Tee Bob, which she received in 2009 upon being diagnosed with PTSD, was later found to have cancer and he was retired. Apollo, her current dog, is a one-year-old mixed breed Italian mastiff/Rottweiler.

"Dogs are wonderful," she said as she played with Apollo during Wednesday's interview. "He's my best friend and he's what keeps me going."

Chambers, who served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1988 and finished her service in the Army Reserves in 2003, served in combat in Panama. Chambers signed up for the U.S. Army on the delayed entry program while still a student in Shelby High School.

Leaving the Army as a sergeant, she was one of the first women in actual combat to receive a combat patch, she said.

While the VA does not officially recognize a service dog for PTSD, Chambers said the government is still researching the positive use of service dogs versus medication. Because it's not a recognized PTSD treatment by the government, she pays for 100 percent of Apollo's care and training herself.

"I actually went in and spoke with my first psychiatrist through the VA and asked if I could be issued a dog instead of all the medications that VA was giving me because I thought it would be beneficial," she said.

Chambers wants to bring awareness to the positive aspects of service dogs to a veteran such as herself when compared to the many prescriptions she has taken.

She shared a letter from her psychiatrist, Dr. Govindarajan Sampath of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mansfield Outpatient Clinic, on South Trimble Road.

"Her symptoms of anxiety and depression are helped to no small degree by a psychiatric service dog. I am fully supportive of this veteran having her service dog with her as much as possible throughout the day while performing her activities of daily living," Sampath wrote.

Chambers said the VA is notorious for "labeling" veterans, preventing her and other veterans from holding a job and fitting into society.

Apollo, who has gone to obedience classes through Mohican Kennels, has allowed Chambers to leave the home, go to the store, become more social and less fearful when she is alone.

She said her husband Bill has put up with her for 11 years and has been very supportive.

Bill said Apollo is never far from the couple's side.

As an example, the Army veteran explained how she might hear noises in the past when she was at home alone. Now if her dog doesn't hear anything out of the ordinary, and alert her first, she doesn't worry about it so much anymore.

"Even riding in a car, as far as safety, emotional support, anxiety, he can sense when I need help," she said. "When I am with him, I am able to go out in public. My husband couldn't believe I was actually willing to come and do this (interview)."

"I get to pacing and he comes up behind me. He can sense when I get upset and come up and jump up on me."

Chambers said the dog gives her a sense of companionship.

"He gives me a sense of purpose. When you have a pet to take care of, you have to take them out. You have to feed them.... It gives you a reason to still function everyday," she said.

"How many times have you gone into a store and people reach up behind you and bump you? Well you don't do that to a veteran. When you have a service dog, he's taught to get in front of me and keep a certain space between me and the person in front of me," she said. He is trained to keep her back too.

"That way I can get back out into society and a pill can't do that," Chambers said.

While she still takes about 12 pills a day, she has been able to reduce the amount of medication she takes daily.

Chambers said she would like to see all U.S. military veterans be eligible for a service dog versus medication.

"It would still be cheaper versus the medication," she said. "There are on average 22 suicides a day due to PTSD."

"There isn't anything a dog can't do to make things better," she said.

lwhitmir@nncogannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir