Jim met Bomber, his golden retriever, on September 27, 2019. Bomber was the 100th dog trained by Northwest Battle Buddies and paired with a Veteran. In Jim's words, "He's magnificent." Hear Jim tell his story in his own words below.
"Well, I guess what I would say to you is, is that it’s not that hard. I don’t think that for the average veteran who is lucky enough to get a service dog, it’s that hard. But they (NWBB) have a lot to do and a lot to teach in a short time. So it’s kind of like being in the service again, they tell, and you do. And if you don’t do it right, they correct you. But you know, I look at the first week when we all got together, there were ten disparate veterans; eight guys, and two women with a variety of different afflictions from a variety of different wars. We represented virtually everybody, Marines, Navy and Air Force, and of course, the Army. But we were a bunch of people who didn’t know each other and didn’t know a whole lot about our dogs. We were introduced to them after a face-to-face meeting; they made sure that all the questions in the surveys and qualifying they did up front, were in alignment with what they saw when we came down. And then we were introduced to our dogs on our second day in Battle Ground."
Training at Northwest Battle Buddies' Facility
"On day 2, what I saw was a bunch of disabled veterans that were glad to see a dog, but we were really a pretty jumbled-up mess. I remember on graduation day we did our final test, and I was stunned at just watching us as a group, how much, how far we had come. We looked like, and we were, in control of our dogs and our dogs knew what to do. And I’m not sure that I would have believed that possible after my first week. So yes, as Shannon says, “There’s a right way and a process to do everything,” and they teach you how to do everything step by step. And then you do it over and over and over, just like you do in the military. So, it becomes muscle memory."
"And that’s very, very important. And I didn’t realize how important it was. I thought, gosh, we’re going to the same malls and the same Walmart. And, we went through the airport and TSA in places that I would never go. But when you know what to do, and you don’t really have to think about it, you’ve done it enough that it just kind of comes naturally to you. So the only thing I could say is that because we were all military and we were used to being told what to do and how to do it. And if it wasn’t done the right way, then you practiced, and you did it until you got it right. Their commitment was to teach us the right way and make sure that we were comfortable doing it, and that we knew how to do it. And the dogs and the trainers, or handlers, in our case, had a shared vision."
THE REST OF THE STORY FROM SHANNON WALKER
"When I was choosing a Veteran to be paired with our 100th service dog, I knew they had to be a very special person. Having our 100th dog was a lot of responsibility. I needed someone who was very kind and gracious, someone who didn’t mind the extra attention that a normal service dog would bring. The Veteran had to be able to handle interviews, and of course, have the character and self-discipline that all of our NWBB service dog handlers have to have.
When I met Jim, he was exactly what I was looking for to represent our 100th Team. Jim is always so respectful, he greets you with a smile and a handshake. As I saw his relationship grow over the weeks of training with Bomber, his smile got bigger and bigger. He began every day with enthusiasm and a great attitude, even if it meant going somewhere he was dreading to go. With Bomber at his side, he faced everything we asked him to do with tremendous courage. I had high hopes for Jim and Bomber as a team, and I have not been disappointed. Jim is 100% accountable to his service dog and to NWBB. I could not be more proud of them!!"
Northwest Battle Buddies is truly grateful for the service to our country that our Veterans have provided and seek to continue supporting Veterans by gifting them life-changing service dogs for many years to come. Help us continue our mission of support by pledging a donation to our organization.
