To my fellow Veterans and the Spokane community, I have a wife and son and the both of them are very beautiful and life fulfilling to me. I am a combat vet from Iraq and permanently disabled. I really had not much to do except focus on what was going on inside my head, and pondering on the chaos this war has caused me, as well as to those of you who have also experienced war as I have. While my wife and I were walking through  the Northpointe Shopping Center, we came across some flyers on a table display for Operation Dog Tag. My wife continued for a week urging me to call Operation Dog Tag and see what could be done for my depression and anxiety.

I did call and talked with the trainer, Joe Scheffer. Joe told me these dogs are much more than just your everyday pet. They are your battle buddy and best friend, especially for the invisible wound that's known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). A week later Joe called to tell me he found a 7 month old female Rott named Abby. And to my surprise, Abby was the most wonderful and smartest dog I have ever had the pleasure to work with. You could see that her eyes expressed a lot of emotion and sometimes she would do something silly and make me smile. Abby has changed my life and the family’s. We have had Abby for a short time but she has a place in our home and in our hearts. To smile is a big deal for those of us combat veterans with scars that can't be seen with the naked eye. I will never think of a dog as just a dog again, because Abby has become my best friend and battle buddy. And we will walk together, one day at a time, for whatever the future has in store. Thank you Joe and to that wonderful organization Operation Dog Tag.

Nathan Murphy
US ARMY/ IRAQ 03/04