Health

10 HE ALTH • Spring 2022 C liff Comptois of West Brookfield was just 18 years old when he signed up for the Army National Guard and later joined the Air Force National Guard, serving both branches in Strategic and Tactical Air Command. Little did • By Sloane M. Perron NEADS service dogs help injured veterans find normalcy NEADS Veterans Service Representative Katie Hanna Comptois know this was the start of a long military career, one that would end unexpectedly. Comptois left the military and was enjoying civil- ian life when 9/11 inspired him to rejoin the Army National Guard, where he served as a heavy wheel mechanic. While working at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Comptois and his unit were carrying heavy equipment and machinery. After the work was done, Comptois went to bed. The next morning when he woke up and put pressure on his foot, he experienced a level of pain that he had never endured before. "It was like a million volts just shot right through my body, from my toes to the tips of my hair, and I almost fell through like a plate glass window, which was in my bedroom," Comptois said. After emergency back surgery, Comptois was medi- cally discharged after 17 years of service in 2006. While his military career ended, the crippling back pain still persisted with Comptois barely able to walk, even with the assistance of a cane. The idea of a service dog never crossed Comptois' mind, instead he and his wife were just looking for a pet when a family member suggested the couple reach out to NEADS World Class service dogs in Princeton. Founded in 1976, NEADS breeds, raisies, and trains service dogs for people with physical disabili- ties, hearing disabilities, autism/developmental dis- abilities, and veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or service-related injuries. Even with the referral, Comptois went into NEADS looking for a puppy who was a furloughed favorite, meaning a dog who had failed NEADS' strict training standards and could not be a certified service dog, but a dog who would still make a great family pet. As he walked through the door shaikly using his cane and wearing his old Army field jacket, Kathy Foreman, director of canine development at NEADS, stopped Comptois and told him he qualified for a veteran service dog, which meant he could have a fully trained service dog at no cost due to a federal funding. "I was at the point then where I said 'No, no, there's other people out there that are more deserving, more needful to have a service dog than I'. And, you know, Kathy goes, 'Don't worry, there'll be plenty of dogs for other people as well'. And, you know, still, it took me two years to come to my senses and say, 'Okay, I think I'm in need enough to get a service dog,'" Comptois said. Leko, a black labrador, came into the picture and changed Comptois' life by retrieving everyday items such as his cane and keys and guiding him as he walked, but, more importantly, she provided a sense of constant comfort and security. Bred and trained for service NEADS Veterans Service Representative Katie Hanna is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and operations officer who worked with the U.S. Army surgeon general, reserve affairs directorate. Through her extensive work with the Army Medical Corps. and now her role at NEADS, Hanna has seen firsthand the transformative impact that service dogs have on the lives of injured veterans. NEADS is the oldest service dog program in New England, using industry standards in its breeding and training programs. Every NEADS dog is able to perform 50 to 60 tasks, such as alerting their hearing Four-legged battle buddies NEADS Trainer Tyler Gribi poses with the dog he trained, 20 month old Porter. PHOTOS | EDD COTE

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