Published Jun 12, 2026, 3:00 AM EDT
Companions brought comfort and steadiness they needed to enjoy life again.
For veterans Rachel Hughes and Michael Deardorff, relief from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the physical toll of serving in the military was somewhat unexpectedly relieved by a four-legged friend. Hughes, an Army veteran, and Deardorff, who served in the Marine Corps, both received service dogs through Dogs, Inc., a company providing highly trained companion dogs to veterans. Hughes, who retired as a master sergeant after 22 years in the Army, was matched with Byner in 2023. The dog not only helps Hughes manage her PTSD, but he also gives her motivation to get out of bed each morning and enjoy life. Serving as a counterterrorism specialist, Hughes was deployed to three wars in the Middle East. Following the Army, Hughes joined law enforcement as a hostage negotiation lead. Talk about pressure. And trauma. “Being a soldier and training to become a police officer brought together two passions that had lived in me for years. I wasn’t just learning to defend a nation, I was learning to uphold law and order. Discipline met justice. Structure met purpose,” Hughes told Military.com. “It was where discipline hardened into resilience, where fear gave way to confidence, and where a young woman learned she was capable of far more than she ever imagined.” But Hughes’s PTSD was unrelenting, causing nightmares, sleep issues and persistent anxiety. The ripple effect caused relationship problems. “I was in a very deep black space, and my psychiatrist mentioned a service dog,” she said. “I also saw a documentary on service dogs on TV. I decided that I needed to try getting a service dog for me.” Meeting Byner lifted the Army veteran’s spirits almost instantly. “I was so full of joy. I cried because I felt something deep as I sat loving on this big bundle of fur. It was like he was made for me,” Hughes said. “Byner calms me and grounds me. He makes me laugh, and he loves me as I do him. I can be so anxious, and Byner will just calm me by being there. He doesn’t judge me; he just loves me.” Hughes believes service dogs can improve mental health in ways veterans don’t often consider, offering support, comfort and a reliable cuddly buddy. “Byner has helped me tremendously reduce my anxiety and stress. He has given me so much love and compassion and has made PTSD easier to manage,” Hughes said. “I hope this message can get to a veteran in need and help them to choose a path out of loneliness and darkness.”
