📝 usncan Note: Service Dog Saves Life Of Military Veteran In Heroic Fashion
Disclaimer: This content has been prepared based on currently trending topics to increase your awareness.
Veteran Hank Ford smiles alongside his service dog, Tommy.
Dogs Inc
A service dog for a veteran with PTSD answered the call of duty by saving his handler’s life in an unexpected way.
Colorado resident Hank Ford served for over 20 years in the United States Army and Marines, with numerous deployments overseas, including Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. With encouragement from his local Veterans Affairs team, he partnered with a yellow Labrador retriever named Tommy — a service dog trained by the nonprofit Dogs Inc — in 2023.
“I said, ‘I want a dog that’s going to get me out of bed’ because I was sleeping my life away,” he said. “‘Then at night, I want a dog that when it’s time to chill, it’s time to chill.’ And that’s exactly what he is.”
Tommy proved a perfect match for Ford, a lifelong dog lover who’d gone into a “really dark spot” after the death of his previous two dogs, also Labs. The outgoing Lab can apply pressure therapy whenever Ford experiences anxiety.
“If I start getting anxious, the first thing he’ll do is come and he’ll put his chin on my knee,” he said. “He looks up at me and if that doesn’t work, then he’ll immediately go into a hug where he’ll jump into my lap and give me a hug and he’ll start licking me — just, ‘Hey, calm down.’”
Though Tommy wasn’t trained to wake Ford from nightmares, he does — and puts a positive spin on every morning.
“He just kind of stands on my chest and looks at me,” he said. “So when you open your eyes, it’s immediate laughter because boom — you’ve got a goofy dog looking at you.”
Tommy helped improve Ford’s outlook so much that he even got his job back as a marshal at a golf course. Tommy rides along in the cart and is extremely popular with golfers and staff.
Tommy is a hit at the golf course where Hank Ford works as a marshal.
Courtesy of Hank Ford
“Everybody loves him,” Ford said.
A Life-Saving Service Dog
Fortunately, Tommy loves Ford, as he proved one morning this February. Ford’s wife, Mary, had already left early for her job as a nurse when Tommy started frantically trying to wake him up.
“He was jumping on me. He was barking and he never barks, ever,” he recalled. “He was nosing me, telling me to get out of bed.”
Ford guessed his dog might need to go to the bathroom and felt wobbly as he rose to open the door to let Tommy outside.
“I opened the door to let him out and he wouldn’t go,” he said. “Then he started jumping up and hitting my chest with his paws. And I’m starting to figure out that something’s not right. My heartbeat just doesn’t feel right.”
He sat down and Tommy jumped in his lap, clearly agitated. Ford put on a blood pressure cuff and was alarmed at the results: 151 over 115, with a heartrate of 171. He drove himself to the hospital, where the staff was “freaking out” that he drove in that state, and hospitalized him overnight.
“They tried to medicate me back into rhythm, but they couldn’t. So they had to shock me back into rhythm,” he said. “Mary brought Tommy to me at the hospital, and he laid in my lap in that bed the whole time.”
Ford had suffered an episode from atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots, heart failure and stroke. The medical team credited Tommy with saving Ford’s life.
“The doc said that had he not woke me up, there was a good possibility that I would’ve stroked out or died,” he said. “I owe Tommy everything for that one.”
Service Dogs From Dogs Inc
Tommy is a service dog trained by Dogs Inc, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to veterans with PTSD for free. In 2023, a Dogs Inc trainer flew with Tommy from Florida to Colorado to train with Hank Ford.
Courtesy of Hank Ford
Naturally, the team at the nonprofit that raised and trained Tommy is thrilled that he has been so pivotal in Ford’s life. Dogs Inc starts training future service dogs when they’re just two days old to become service dogs for veterans or guide dogs for people who are blind. Thanks to donors, the organization provides them at no cost to handlers like Ford and offers lifetime support, including free dog food and preventive veterinary care, according to Emily Dombrowski, the nonprofit’s director of the service dog program.
“Every day, our team is inspired by the ways our dogs bring comfort, independence and hope, not only through the skills they have learned in their training on campus, but also through the strong relationship that develops between dog and person,” she said. “We’re always here to support our teams and hear the incredible stories, like Hank and Tommy’s, of how our dogs continue making a difference throughout their lives.”
Meanwhile, Ford continues to live life to the fullest with Tommy by his side. The “huge” Green Bay Packers fan even took Tommy on a trip to visit his wife’s family in Wisconsin, where they got a special 3-hour tour of Lambeau Field.
Hank and Mary Ford visit Lambeau Field with Tommy.
Courtesy of Hank Ford
“They were unbelievable to him, the way that they treated us and him,” he said. “It was really cool.”
Ford recently underwent a cardiac ablation to help prevent future heart issues and feels “great.” Tommy continues to enjoy naps and fetching his toys by name; the clever dog can hear cues like “monkey,” “turkey” or “rooster” and return with the correct toy in his mouth for playtime.
Ultimately, Ford hopes other military veterans will consider partnering with service dogs since his own experience has been lifechanging — and lifesaving.
“I’ve had good connections with other dogs, but nothing like this,” he said. “It’s unreal.”
