Service dogs give lifeline to suffering Mid-Columbia veterans

Disabled veteran Jesus Cortez is getting out of his small Othello apartment more these days, thanks to an Australian shepherd named Henry.

Cortez has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after six deployments on a Navy aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.

But his symptoms have been eased since he heard about a new nonprofit organization in Franklin County.

Service Peace Warriors of Eltopia trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD, tailoring the training for each dog to what a particular veteran needs.

After a dog and veteran bond and work together for a few months, the dog is given to the veteran at no cost.

Cortez has one of the first two Service Peace Warriors dogs.

He took Henry home for good about two weeks ago after a few earlier overnight home visits.

“He has made a huge impact on my life,” Cortez said. “I don’t have as many anxiety attacks when I go out in public.”

Cortez would do his grocery shopping in the middle of the night, when he knew he’d have to cope with fewer people.

Now when Cortez goes out in public, Henry will stand or lie between him and other people, helping ease Cortez’s anxiety. If Henry sees Cortex getting nervous or anxious, the dog nudges him.

Several times already, Henry has awakened Cortez from nightmares.

“I am so thankful,” Cortez said.

Mary Mattox, of Eltopia, and her nephew, Eric Mattox, a Hanford Fire Department captain with Mission Support Alliance, formed Service Peace Warriors a little more than a year ago.

Their first two dogs were released about two weeks ago to veterans, one of them Cortez’s Henry.

“We are not doctors. We are not psychologists. We just know animals can heal,” Eric Mattox said.

Mary Mattox suffers from severe PTSD related to childhood experiences, Eric said.

She has always been good with the animals on her Eltopia farm and has a talent for training dogs, he said.

But she did not realize the value of a service animal until one night when she had a PTSD episode that left her collapsed on the floor, unable to speak or hear, with her blood pressure climbing dangerously high.

Her son, Chance, had a German shepherd he was training through a 4-H dog obedience program, who came to her aid. Cloud lay down next to her, helping to calm her. She was able to use the dog to stand up.

Cloud stayed with her as she walked to the other side of the house and woke up her husband to take her to the hospital.

After that episode, her doctor suggested that, given her love of animals, a service dog might help with her PTSD.

She trained her own service dog, Sky, a sibling of Cloud.

“She is off half of her medications. Her anxiety is reduced,” Eric said.

She wanted to give back — and who better to help than veterans with PTSD, he said.

At Service Peace Warriors, Eric handles the logistics and paperwork, and Mary trains the dogs.

She’s also turned out to be a resource to the veterans who come to Service Peace Warriors, giving them someone who they can talk to who understands what they are experiencing.

She’s also spent hours with veterans’ family members, talking with them about PTSD and what the veteran in their family may be experiencing but not talking about.

She’s been training 15 dogs in the first year of the nonprofit.

One of the two who have gone home with veterans so far went to a veteran who has not only PTSD but physical disabilities that keep him in a wheelchair much of the time. His dog is trained to fetch the wheelchair, pull it and to give him support if he stands up.

The 15 dogs, some already matched with veterans they’ll go home with, include some rescue dogs from Mikey’s Chance in the Tri-Cities. Others were donated to the program or found during PetSmart adoption events.

Service Peace Warriors plans to start breeding dogs — starting with German shepherds and English cream golden retrievers — as service dogs.

Serious training starts when dogs are about 10 months old, with dogs placed with veterans when they are 18 months to 2 years old. They have passed a Canine Good Citizenship test and spent plenty of time with handlers in public places.

Cortez had been interested in a service dog, but the cost was prohibitive. A trained service dog can be sold for $13,000 to $40,000, Eric Mattox said.

But then he heard about a fundraiser for Service Peace Warriors. He was matched with Henry and on the day the two met this spring, Henry would not leave Cortez’s side.

Henry gets Cortez out of the house early each morning for the dog’s walk, bringing both exercise and routine into Cortez’s life, he said.

“This is what we are trying to do, help people like Jesus, help people and their families get their lives back,” Eric said.

On Thursday, Mission Support Alliance invited media and community officials to its Richland offices to help get the word out about Service Peace Warriors.

The fledgling nonprofit could use some help. Money is welcome to cover costs like veterinary bills. It also accepts donations such as dog beds, toys and crates. Volunteers may also help with the dogs — taking them for a run, for example.

Learn more about Service Peace Warriors or download an application for a veteran to be matched with a dog at servicepeacewarriors.org.

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Service dogs give lifeline to suffering Mid-Columbia veterans."