Local Veteran & Service Dog Nationally Honored for #StillServing

Dallas resident Lewis Franklin and his dog Hero are being recognized for their service to country and community in the national Veterans of Foreign Wars #StillServing campaign. The campaign honors veterans and their canine companions who continue to serve after active duty.

Franklin served two tours in Iraq, where his gun truck was hit by an improvised explosive device and a rocket-propelled grenade, and he retired in 2013. In between tours he served in the National Guard and was deployed to Hurricane Katrina where his troop monitored water levels, patrolled for looters, located bodies exposed by the falling water and helped the National Humane Society care for pets.

After what Franklin had seen and experienced, he was not a happy person. His doctors recommended a service animal and that was when he met Riley, whom he describes as “one of the sweetest easiest going dogs I have ever met.” He enlisted the help of a professional and trained Riley.

Riley trained to accompany Franklin in public, wake him from night terrors and signal if his anxiety was getting too high. From the moment Riley completed training and began accompanying Franklin all day, felt an immediate decrease in anxiety and within several months he was able to decrease his therapy visits.

Riley has instigated such incredible change that Franklin is now able to give back to his community. He served as the veteran's club advisor at a local college, has taken Riley to Student Veteran Association events as a therapy dog for attendees and has advocated for PTS dogs during interviews with the Beverly Hills dog show. The two testified twice before the Oregon House of Representatives for more veteran support in state and community colleges, resulting in grants to enable veteran support staff and facilities on Oregon campuses.

VFW invites all veterans to submit stories of how they're #StillServing with their canine companions at vfw.org/stillserving.