A Dog Called Hope: A Wounded Warrior and the Service Dog Who Saved Him by Jason Morgan and Damien Lewis is a well written, moving true story.
While on an anti-narcotics raid, special forces warrior Jason Morgan parachuted into a Central American jungle. He’d served with the famous Night Stalkers on many such missions, but this assignment ended badly for Morgan. Months later he regained consciousness in a U.S. military hospital, paralyzed from the waist down, in chronic pain, and with no memory of what had happened to him.
In the meantime, Jim Siegfried, a Canine Companion for Independence (CCI) puppy trainer, was assigned a dog to raise and train. In the eighteen months Jim would have Napal, a black Labrador Retriever, the pup learned to respond to thirty commands and be prepared for the next training sessions to meet special-needs recipients. It’s a tremendous sacrifice for puppy trainers. The bond between trainer and pup becomes very strong and giving up the dog is heart-wrenching. Some dogs don’t make the grade, but those who do become a life-line to veterans and the disabled.
Jason Morgan’s life spiraled downward to the point of his having no hope. This once-active career military and family man’s life as he knew it ended with his massive injuries. Jason’s life took a remarkable turn when he learned about CCI. He was given Napal and after the two trained together at a California CCI facility, Jason was able to respond to his family’s needs and know real happiness. Not everything ran smoothly in Jason’s life, but with Napal he was again able to find humor, companionship and meaning in life.
A Dog Called Hope is a remarkable story about the strong bond between man and dog. I learned how intensely trained CCI service dogs are and how they can change lives. Although the dogs cost about $50,000 to raise and train, they are free to the recipients. The book opened my eyes to the challenges a wheel-chair bound person faces. But a canine companion does more than pick up dropped objects and open doors. Their constant presence helps build confidence, open up new possibilities, all the while providing unconditional love and joy. I highly recommend this touching and often humorous book.