Service dog changes Riverview veteran’s life
By LOIS KINDLE
Riverview resident Richard Burton sacrificed much in service to his country. In 1997, he was severely burned and medevaced to Israel after a bomb went off in the observation post he was manning. Recovering from those injuries, he continued serving until another incident forced him to be medically discharged in 2014.
K9s FOR WARRIORS PHOTO
Former Army Staff Sgt. Richard Burton and his service dog, Leo, pose for their first photo together after meeting on Dog Day in January at K9s For Warriors in Ponte Vedra. Burton was in the Army from November 1995 to December 2014. He served overseas in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait and Katar before coming home and being permanently injured in an automobile accident that left him with PTSD and TBI.
On March 24, 2012, Burton was involved in a car accident while working for the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command. He was driving to the U.S. Coast Guard base in Pinellas County to train its members to jump from a helicopter into the water.
Per Burton’s account of the accident, his jeep was hit by another vehicle whose driver had run a stop sign. The impact disabled the jeep, severely damaging its engine and frame. Burton said he got out of the jeep to help the woman, who was slumped over the steering wheel of her car, and he was hit by a motorcycle when its driver lost control.
Burton was flung 20 feet in the air and slid 15 feet down the road. He suffered four cranial fractures, injured both his back and shoulders and was airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center.
“I coded five times in four days while I was there,” Burton said. “I was diagnosed with (severe) traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spent six months in the hospital.”
He was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The soldier came home the following September and has received outpatient treatment ever since.
Unable to work, he still suffers from seizures, vertigo, migraines, cognitive decline, memory loss and balance issues caused by his injuries. He also experiences traumatic nightmares and panic attacks.
So up until recently, his future looked grim.
In January 2017, Burton, 40, and a labradoodle named Leo, then 15 months, graduated together from the K9s For Warriors program for veterans with PTSD, TBI and military sexual trauma (MST).
The nonprofit organization based in Ponte Vedra provides free training and service dogs to help these veterans confidently live independent lives. It spends about $32,000 to raise and train each pup.
“The unfortunate, staggering fact is every day 22 veterans returning from combat take their lives,” said Rory Diamond, chief executive officer at K9s For Warriors. “The K9s for Warriors training program not only provides our soldiers with a life-saving gift to mitigate the invisible wounds of war and injuries suffered while they serve the country, but it is also an opportunity for peer-to-peer support with other servicemen and women who suffer from similar issues.”
After googling service dog organizations, Burton said he called about five and asked three questions: Could it provide a dog to help with PTSD? Could it provide a dog to help with traumatic brain injury? And finally, could it provide a hypoallergenic dog?
K9s For Warriors was the only group that answered “yes” to all three questions, Burton said. So he filled out an application, received a class date and went to Ponte Vedra to be matched with a dog. The two trained together for three weeks, and then Burton brought Leo home.
RICHARD BURTON PHOTO
Leo, a labradoodle puppy from K9s for Warriors, has forever changed the life of Riverview resident Richard Burton.
“Leo had such a friendly response when we were introduced (Jan. 9),” Burton said, smiling broadly. “I fell in love with him and how happy he was to see me.”
The 64-pound cross between a Labrador retriever and poodle has made a real difference, Burton said.
In addition to providing him with companionship, Leo pulls at Burton and makes him sit down whenever signs of TBI emerge.
“He relaxes me and puts his head on my heart when that happens, Burton said. “He’s helped shorten (the duration of) my symptoms from 30 minutes to about 15,” Burton said. “I’m sleeping better, and I don’t have as many nightmares, but when I do, Leo wakes me up. He goes everywhere I do.”
Burton’s wife, Quinee, serves in the Army and is currently stationed in Milwaukee, Wisc.
Sobering facts (supplied by K9s for Warriors):
• 20 percent of the 1.7 million men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD.
• 22 veterans commit suicide every day.
• K9s For Warriors serves veterans in every state and is the largest service dog provider for veterans battling the invisible wounds of war.
• 278 veterans have graduated from the service-dog training program.
• The average warrior is on 10 to 15 medications when beginning the program. Ninety-two percent of graduates are able to reduce or eliminate medication use upon program completion.
• Ninety percent of the dogs trained at K9s For Warriors are rescues, many minutes away from euthanasia before being accepted into the program.
• Program participants live on campus at K9s For Warriors for three weeks, where they train for 120 hours.
• There is no cost for veterans to participate in the program.
For more information, visit www.k9sforwarriors.org or call 904-686-1956.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Leo’s service jacket hangs on the back of a chair in Richard Burton’s Riverview home. When the jacket goes on, the labradoodle is all business.
