As June marks Men’s Mental Health and PTSD Awareness Month, one Navy Veteran opened up to KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian about how his service dog is helping him heal.
Will Garbe said that after 26 years in the Navy and deployments to more than 30 countries, he found retirement more challenging than he’d expected.
“I was in the military at 17, stayed until I was 44, and so it was really all I knew,” he said.
Garbe said he struggled with anxiety, depression, and finding his place in civilian life—all while trying to stay strong for his two young daughters.
“I thought that with the support that I had in my family and my kids and this whole new life to be able to be around them as much as I could be, that that would help, and then I realized that I still felt very much out of place,” he said.
Then, a chance encounter changed everything. Garbe was at CVS when he met another veteran who had a service dog from K9s For Warriors.
That same night, Garbe applied to the program.
Now, he has Bob, a two-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever.
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“He is my best friend,” Garbe said. “He knows if I'm having a rough day, a rough second, a rough minute. He is always by my side. If I feel uncomfortable and I just need to take a second to kind of slow everything down. I have commands where I can tell him to get on my lap or [lie] on me. He always wants to be right next to me. He's always touching me.”
Garbe hopes that sharing his vulnerability will encourage other veterans to speak up, seek help, and know they’re not alone.
For more information on K9s For Warriors, click here.
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