Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Lindsay Lair | Retiring U.S. Navy Counselor Chief Cyrus Irani posed with his newly appointed service...... read more read more
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – She officially begins her day at 5:30 a.m., with breakfast, a morning walk with her partner, and getting dressed in her uniform before going to work. Once her partner settles into his office chair, she than gets started on the first nap of the day on the floor.
Her partner, Navy Counselor Chief Cyrus Irani, who concluded his 20 years of naval service at Center for Information Warfare and Training (CIWT) in late February with a helping paw at his side, Zoey, a 6-month-old golden labradoodle currently in the early stages of her service.
In the weeks leading up to his retirement, Irani began her preliminary training in uniform, which for her consists of a pink leash, clipped to a pink vest.
Zoey is a part of Healing Paws for Warriors, a non-profit organization that facilitates service dogs for U.S Veterans.
“We provide the military the weapons to fight--now let's provide them the tools to live,” said Sheila Hale, Co-founder and Program Manager for Healing Paws for Warriors. “The service dogs are their new battle buddies during highs and lows and the Veterans continue to work on a better version of themselves."
“Not every dog can be a service dog,” Hale continued. “Once an eligible, pre-evaluated dog is selected from a shelter, it is fostered for two weeks and then re-evaluated. The canine begins initial training or is returned to the shelter, depending on the outcome of the second evaluation. Training usually takes two to four months, depending on the veteran's needs."
Mike Arena, co-founder and executive director of Healing Paws for Warriors explained the process a veteran has to complete to be eligible for a service animal. Veterans must complete and submit a web based application through Healing Paws for Warriors and supply documentation from a medical provider stating the patient is in a good place in treatment or therapy and would benefit from having a service dog.
Eligibility is based on serval factors, one of which is where they fall into three categories of severity. Under Cat 1, member has minimal health issues, Cat 2, member has major health issues, and Cat 3 is reserved for terminally ill Veterans.
“They want to make sure the animal is safe and also the service member is safe,” said Irani, “It goes both ways.”
For Irani, the process of receiving a service dog started earlier than most.
“It’s not common to have a service dog and also be active duty,” said Irani. “I’m thankful for the chain of command [CIWT] who’s supported me. From the command master chief all the way to the commanding officer.”
Irani would not have normally received his service dog prior to exiting the military, but is grateful for receiving her early as he is already seeing the benefits. He recalled a time where Zoey unexpectedly demonstrated her training by giving support in a high stress situation. While driving, his vehicle in front of him braked suddenly with no explanation and Irani felt himself become quite angry.
I was upset and screaming at the other driver, said Irani, and Zoey started licking the back of my hand, like, ‘calm down it's going to be okay.’
Zoey’s progress makes Irani hopeful that she will be able to complete training, with little to no issues. He explained that Zoey will undergo surgery to get spayed and begin intense training. Her career will then depend on her performance during tests. Failure to pass means a career change, a term used to define the process of removing a pup out of the service dog system and being placed for regular adoption.
Healing Paws for Warriors was officially founded February 2015. 92% of their dogs are sourced from shelters/rescues in the Florida region. They also work with other nonprofits like Hero Labradors and its purpose-bred dogs, and other organizations that donate animals. Healing Paws has successfully placed 54 Veterans with service dogs, covering the cost of placement and training. The cost of a trained service dog from their organization runs between $15,000 and $18,000.
“Thanks to grants, donations, fundraisers, the generosity of the community, and using rescue/shelter animals, Healing Paws is able to provide ADA-certified service dogs, trained for/to the needs of the veteran, at no charge,” said Arena.
Irani was ceremonially rung ashore on Mar. 31, during CIWT’s 130th Chief Petty Officer Birthday ceremony concluding his naval service with his family on hand.
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2023 17:20 |
| Story ID: | 441724 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 269 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Retiring Navy Chief Receives Service Dog to Help with Stress, by PO2 Lindsay Lair, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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