Hank Ford never expected a dog to be his hero — but when a 30-pound service dog bounded into his life, he was rescued from PTSD and a potentially fatal medical crisis! Here, he shares his story with Woman’s World.
For Hank Ford, it was love at first sight. The moment Tommy, a yellow Lab, jumped into the Wounded Warrior’s lap and nuzzled his nose, Hank knew they were going to be best buds.
“This is for you,” the Dogs Inc. service trainer said, handing Hank Tommy’s leash. “For the next 90 days, hold onto this and keep Tommy close.”
“I can already feel the bond,” Hank said only two days into their training. “Trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet,” the trainer replied with a smile — and she was right.
After 20 years in the military, Hank had taken early retirement, suffering from PTSD and haunting nightmares.
With encouragement from his wife, Mary, Hank sought therapy at the VA, where they suggested he get a service dog.
Not long after, Hank’s hunting dog died, and he returned to the VA to ask about obtaining a service dog, and they provided him with a list of training organizations. He soon found Dogs Inc., which took his application right then over the phone.
Nine months later, Tommy lay curled at Hank’s feet, and the two were inseparable. Whenever Hank had a nightmare, Tommy woke him with a cold nose, and Hank felt more at ease.
Then one morning, Mary, a nurse, left early for work. Hank was sleeping in, but suddenly Tommy began pacing, whining and nudging Hank. “Do you need to go out?” Hank asked, climbing out of bed and heading to the door. But Tommy refused to go.
“What’s wrong?” Hank asked, but then realized, “There’s something wrong with me.”
“I’m sure I’m fine,” he muttered, but Tommy kept leaping up and tapping Hank’s chest with his nose — again and again. Hank checked his pulse, which was faint and thready, so he grabbed their blood pressure monitor. His BP was sky-high, and his pulse was nearly 200.
“Go to the hospital!” Mary ordered when Hank called. “You’re in atrial fibrillation,” the doctor diagnosed, admitting Hank. “We need to shock your heart back to normal.”
“Can you go get Tommy? I really need him,” Hank asked Mary, and when she returned, Tommy yanked the leash from her hand, dashed across the hospital room and leapt into bed, stretching alongside Hank.
After Hank’s heart was shocked back to normal, he was discharged and hasn’t experienced any further heart issues. “Tommy saved my life twice — once when I was drowning in PTSD, and again when my heart nearly gave out,” Hank says with awe. “If only we had more dogs like Tommy to give to struggling veterans, I believe the suicide rate would drop to nearly zero!”
