I am nothing without her .. my dog, I mean.

If I didn't have Chloe, my Labradoodle, my life would be far different than it is now.  And it was until that happy day when Chloe walked into my life two years ago.

I had just gotten out of the VA hospital, where I had been for over six months, recovering from injuries incurred in a heated gun battle between my fellow soldiers and Iraqi snipers.  Several of my buddies died; fortunately, I survived, but not without a price.  I was horribly injured.

During this time of recovery, I became extremely depressed, especially when I found out that I was paralyzed from the waist on down and would probably never walk again.

I didn't care if I lived or died.

It was an extremely rough time for me.

That was when my counselor at the VA hospital suggested that I needed to have a furry companion .... a dog, perhaps, or maybe even a cat.  I thought it was a stupid idea: what could you possibly train a cat to do, and what good would an animal be for me?  What could an animal do to help me with my situation?

Then came the news that I had been "matched" with a dog, a dog who would act as my arms and legs.  What I could no longer do, my dog-to-be could.  That is how Chloe came into the picture ... and things have not been the same since.

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Chloe and I have since become the best of friends.  We know each other like a book: our moods, our desires/wants, what the other one is thinking, stuff like that.  She is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

Nowadays, you don't see me without my trusting, faithful companion by my side.  She is more than happy to pick up dropped objects, help me with getting dressed (pants and socks), opening doors, fetching the daily newspaper or mail, and so forth.

Chloe is extremely smart.  She can figure things out faster than I can at times, and she is always there to lift my spirits whenever they threaten to abandon ship.  I don't know what I would ever do without my Chloe-Girl.  She definitely completes me in more ways than she will ever know and I consider her to be my own God-given miracle.  She is my canine guardian angel.