When Greg wrapped up 12 years of service in the Army, having served overseas in Iraq and close to home during Hurricane Katrina, he looked forward to life as a civilian. Persistent nightmares, rages, and crippling depression made daily life a battlefield. The VA provided counseling and medications, but that intervention helped only a little. When doctors told him he’d never be rid of the awful dreams that jolted him out of sleep every night, his depression worsened. “When you’re told that the thing that’s making your life miserable is never going to go away, you wonder, what’s the point in going on?”
Greg was alluding to the suicide epidemic among soldiers, twenty-two 22 die by their own hand every day. That is more lives than are lost at war. “The day-to-day struggle just wears you down. People can’t understand,” he says.
Greg knew he had plenty to live for and wanted to live. So, he and his wife Angela discussed the value of a service dog. “The only one we could agree on was a Pit Bull,” he laughs, referring to Angela’s edict that they must have a dog that wouldn’t shed. Googling ‘Pit Bull Service Dogs,’ Greg found the American Pit Bull Foundation based in Charlotte where he lives. “I saw their program called ‘Operation Sidekick,’ which is a military term, and of course I thought this was too good to be true. I called them just to see if they could point me in the right direction.” Instead, Greg got the service dog of his dreams, tan-colored Delilah, who was just a puppy. Greg helped foster her litter. Despite a catastrophic bout of distemper, from which several puppies died, Delilah and Greg bonded. With specialized training, Delilah has become a constant companion and the balm to soothe his internal wounds. He calls the American Pit Bull Foundation a “godsend.”
“If not for the APBF, I probably still wouldn’t have a dog,” says Greg, who confessed he was discouraged by the daunting process of procuring a service animal. He credits APBF with clearing away the obstacles and red tape. “This dog,” he says, reaching down and scratching Delilah’s white chin, “is the answer I was looking for.” Now, when Greg has nightmares, Delilah springs into action, jumping on the bed and covering his face with kisses. While he still has horrible dreams, Greg says his nightmares have diminished. With Delilah in his life, he’s calmer and happier. He still struggles with depression, but Delilah whether through a paw on his leg or just by leaning into him says in her own way, “Hey, we’ve got this.”
Restore Global has helped procure puppy food and dog treats valued at thousands of dollars for the American Pit Bull Foundation to use in their growing program. Founder Sara Enos says that with Restore Global on the lookout for items that can benefit her organization, it frees her to work on important initiatives. “Restore Global’s donations help alleviate fundraising, eliminate shipping fees, and allow me to refocus my time and energy on program development and other needs. We’re incredibly grateful,” she says.
As for Greg, he’s grateful too. “The Pitt Bull Foundation has a lot of moving parts,” he says. “If you can remove one of those moving parts, like having to get dog food donated, the whole machine operates more efficiently.” Not having to raise money for puppy food means the Foundation can focus more on training dogs and their people, an aspect that directly benefits Greg. Angela also benefits. “Delilah takes a lot of the emotional burden off of my wife. Angela’s no longer the one who has to wake me out of my nightmares,” he explains. That’s Delilah’s job now. Sometimes, when Delilah senses Angela’s having a hard day, she will curl up in Angela’s lap or lean into her a little too.
In his darkest days, Greg says Delilah is an incentive to keep going. “I can’t leave her,” he says. “Just her being near me, that support is huge. And she’s non-judgmental,” he explains. “She gives me unconditional love. That’s astoundingly uplifting.”