CLEARWATER, Fla. — We’ve all heard of swiping left or right when it comes to dating apps, but there is a nonprofit organization that’s using that same strategy when it comes to finding the perfect service dog.
It’s no coincidence that army veteran Becca Stephens of Clearwater has been five years sober this summer, while her service dog Bobbi, has been right by her side for the same amount of time.
“Being in Iraq was a mind-blowing experience. Sirens going off, helicopters, it’s just something that really sticks with you and changes the way you look at life,” said Stephens.
Stephens retired from the US Army in 2011. She said symptoms of PTSD immediately set in.
“Mood swings and these emotions and feelings. I took painkillers, and within a year, I was a full-blown addict,” said Stephens.
She said she was on the verge of taking her own life when she found K9s For Warriors.
“I’d like to call it the Tinder of finding a dog,” said Stephens.
The nonprofit assesses everything from lifestyle to diagnosis to personality, then matches the vet with the perfect service dog. Stephens still remembers her first date with a Labrador Retriever named Bobbi.
“And the dog trainer will take their leash off, and you put your leash on, and it’s such an emotional ceremonial experience,” she said.
That was 2018, and Stephens and Bobbi have been inseparable ever since.
“I was going through a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress, and she was chosen for me because she was incredibly submissive, calm,” said Stephens. “All I have to do is look at her, and I know if she’s okay, then I’m okay.”
Stephens has now become an ambassador for K9s For Warriors, located in Ponte Vedre, providing service dogs to more than 900 veterans free of charge.
“It literally saved my life, has completely turned my life around, and all the other veterans I met who have gone through this program can say the same thing,” said Stephens.
For more information, go to k9sforwarriors.org.
