All of our veterans and rescue dogs that we meet have incredible stories. Josh and Lou Dog are no different, and we are honored to share theirs with you.
On a dark and stormy night in Louisiana, with flood waters rising all around her, a woman spotted a dark four legged figure approaching her property. She would open her door to find Lou; his face torn to shreds after escaping rising waters from behind a chain link fence, freeing himself from a very bad situation. We would later learn that the property Lou escaped from was known to be involved with dog fighting.
Luckily for Lou, the woman had nursing experience and was able to stitch him up to hold him over. Even luckier for Lou, the woman would call her daughter to ask for more help. That daughter just so happened to be Healing4Heroes founder, Piper Hill.
Lou would become part of the H4H family, going through training and eventually finding a home with an elderly veteran. This match wouldn’t be a forever one, and Lou would go through a few fosters before Josh Turner picked up his phone to find Healing4Heroes.
While serving, Josh sustained brain damage, hearing loss and more injuries after having encountered multiple IED explosions, RPGs and mortars. He would return home to his family with these wounds of war, and PTSD.
Because of his injuries and diagnoses, Josh found himself relying on so much medication that he couldn’t feel anything- physically or emotionally. Daily life was challenging. Working would become difficult and some days impossible. Flashbacks would force him into distress, leading to dangerous and chaotic situations for himself and those around him. Josh’s sense of normalcy was non-existent and he needed help.
As he continued looking for answers, Josh turned to his therapist, who suggested getting a service dog. Skeptical as to whether it would work, and unsure that he would be able to afford a service animal, Josh began to research his options. Healing4Heroes happened to be local to his area, free and excited to help Josh along his journey. All that would be left would be to find a match!
“He chose me and my life is completely different. I’m off of all of my medications, and I have a sense of responsibility now”, says Josh. “We were both beaten and abused and we’ve healed each other.”
Josh and his battle buddy Lou have a bond beyond words. Lou has completely changed Josh’s family dynamic. He has brought everyone together and the experience has even inspired Josh’s 11 year old daughter to begin training dogs, right alongside dad who is now a volunteer in his spare time.
We strive to help all of our clients find this bond so that they can enhance each other's lives and we are always in awe of the beauty each bond brings in their own ways!
