To Hell and Back – How a Service Dog Helped One Veteran Survive

Part German shepherd with maybe a dash of mastiff, at 110 pounds, Jack is impressive and the guardian angel to his veteran Alex Moreno who has PTSD plus seizures. Here is their story.

Inspired by his grandfather who served for 23 years and became one of few black Navy Chiefs during the Vietnam era, Alex was eager to join the military at age 17. He could only get his mother to give permission for the Navy, not the Marines; she felt that the Marines was too dangerous. Unknown to his mother at the time, Alex enlisted in the Navy Seabees whose motto is “we build, we fight” and unlike most of the Navy, are “ground-pounders”, based on land, to do construction work anywhere including the front lines and fight when needed, often beside and with Marines.

Based in Japan, Alex worked extensively on projects that taught construction methods to Japanese counterparts and worked on major projects that improved local communities, enhancing and reinforcing the American presence in Asia. Some construction sites had hazardous material which may have contributed to the massive seizure that hit Alex at age 20. Medivaced back to California, Alex spent almost 9 months in hospitals to get the frequent additional seizures under control.

To hell and back … the seizures caused convulsions, reduced vision in one eye, frequent “face plants” and a broken nose four times, severe heart rate problems with his heart stopping twice, and an overwhelming feeling that he did not have long to live. This was complicated by the combat deaths of many friends and mentors who created his sense of stability and his vision of a future; the grief and despair triggered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and three suicide attempts. Alex was convinced that he would not live to see his 21st birthday.

Then his VA social worker Sonya introduced Alex to the idea of a service dog; Alex was very hesitant until he met with Next Step Service Dogs (Sally Montrucchio, Sandie Hicks, and black standard poodle Ziggy). Ziggy clinched the deal by walking up to Alex, gazing into his eyes, silently saying ‘I really love you, I am here no matter what, don’t worry .‘ Alex immediately trusted Ziggy and the Next Step training program.

Paired with rambunctious service dog-in-training Jack, Alex was asked by friends if Jack was ‘Jack Daniels’, Alex would laugh and say, No, just Jack. Months later after service dog certification, Alex comments, “I am single, no kids, so Jack is my son. My mom refers to him as her grandson, that’s how close we are.
Jack is my guardian angel, creates a safety barrier around me so I am not fearful around people or public settings, I have new confidence in meeting people, exploring job possibilities, and I know that Jack will wake me up and calm me if I am having a seizure at night. “ Due to Jack, Alex has a much reduced dosage of medication and has a restful sleep of 5 to 7 hours nightly vs. the old days of 1 to 3 hours of fitful anxious sleep per night.

Popular everywhere he goes, Jack also creates sheer joy and has his wiseguy moments, likes to startle Alex by a quick sniff near the meat counter in the supermarket (a no-no!), and likes to show off around women by a forward, about face, and spin, with a cocky grinning attitude, such a charmer!

So what does the future hold for Alex with Jack by his side 24/7? A lot of hiking, camping, and joining more VA events like the Tough Mudder. Attending college now, hard but worthwhile, Alex plans on getting a degree in history, a passion of his, and see where that might lead. At 23, Alex no longer feels alone and is optimistic that he will see age 25 and enjoy many more years to come.

NOTE: A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in San Diego County, Next Step Service Dogs provides service dogs to veterans with PTSD at no charge, and depends on your generous volunteering and donations for support. For more information, please see www.nextstepservicedogs.org or call 760-438-9190.

by Judy Keene