Local Veteran & Service Dog Nationally Honored for #StillServing

Frederica resident Gene Thornton and her service dog Dolly are being recognized for their service to country and community in the national Veterans of Foreign Wars #StillServing campaign. The campaign honors veterans who continue to serve after active duty and this month, coinciding with National Service Dog Month, focuses on those who serve alongside their canine companions.

Thornton, a 27-year U.S. Army veteran with deployments in Korea and Desert Storm, regularly takes Dolly to the Delaware Veterans Home in Milford where the two had logged nearly 200 visits prior to the pandemic. Dolly’s presence and interaction provides physical and emotional benefits to patients such as decreased blood pressure, depression and anxiety and increased happiness, activity level and cognitive function including communication.

In addition to visiting the veterans home, Thornton and Dolly can be seen around the state, easing apprehension for people receiving shots at health events like the annual Delaware Veterans Stand Down and in high-stress situations such as at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary and medical examiner’s office, the state legislature and college finals week.

Thornton says that without Dolly, she wouldn’t be able to give back to her community. In addition to providing motivation to give back to others, Dolly helped Thornton manage five years of difficult visits with her husband, a dementia patient, and his passing last August.