Reggie is leading her best life supporting Scott and being part of Salt Water Veterans.
When did you get Reggie?
We welcomed Reggie into our life in April 2019 when Ben delivered him. This photo captures one of our initial walks together.
What’s special about Reggie?
What makes Reggie truly special is her endearing sense of humour and unique quirks. Despite her absolute love for water and the willingness to swim tirelessly, she strongly dislikes having a bath or even a hose-off after a swim. Yet, what I admire most about her is her incredible adaptability. Reggie seamlessly transitions from a day of sailing to boarding a domestic flight without missing a beat. Having accompanied me on approximately 40 in-cabin flights, she effortlessly navigates airport security, walks down the ramp, settles into the cabin, and typically drifts off to sleep, showcasing her remarkable ability to adapt to different environments with ease.
What has been a highlight of your journey together?
Reggie goes nearly everywhere with me. When I look through the photos it is amazing the journeys and places we have been together. When I first teamed with Reggie I was extremely anxious to be in public, particularly in crowded places. With PTS I feel you can walk through life and no one pays any attention. Have a pet dog, much the same. When you put an assistance dog jacket on a service dog, people stare and have this desire to talk to you. This has been one of my greatest challenges. Reggie has helped me in this environment, and to have coping strategies and pre-planned responses to answers and challenges to our right of public access. The feeling of having her stand either beside me or between my legs, I know she is there. On the home front, I love how she greets us all in the morning like we are the best thing in the world, the thumping tail on the bed, the waggling butt and the “happy ears”.
What has the impact of Reggie been on family life?
Reggie is 100% a family member. She supports our entire family. Something I was unaware of, was the significant impact that PTS has had on our entire family, my stress and anxiety becomes my family’s stress and anxiety. Reggie has a calming presence and point of focus for us all. I will often find my wife or daughter seeking the comfort of a cuddle with Reggie on the floor.
What’s her favourite thing to do when not wearing her jacket?
She is a sun-dog. You will often find her cooking herself in the sun on our balcony.
What are you looking forward to doing together?
Living in a community that I don’t feel anxious about having our public right of access denied by yet another uneducated member of the public.
We know you love to sail and have created a wonderful organisation Salt Water Veterans – what is the purpose of this organisation?
My wife (Jen) and I have co-founded the Saltwater Veterans Sailing Project, and it is now a registered Health Promotion Charity with the ACNC. It aims to pay forward the support my family and I have experienced and to alleviate the social isolation commonly faced by veterans (and their families) who have been wounded, injured, or are dealing with illness. We have been achieving this through the sport of sailing. The aim is rally fellow veterans to help each other to organise social sailing activities a bit like the old army adventurous training model – where the activity is the vehicle to the outcome. Sailing is our vehicle to social connection. Because of Reggie, we have specifically fostered an environment where veteran handler teams feel welcome with their assistance dogs, and we have had more than 10 assistance dog teams involved.
You are a passionate supporter of Assistance Dogs -what are raising awareness for at the moment?
My ongoing support is to raise awareness to the right’s of public access for us as assistance dog handlers. I feel as handlers we have the opportunity to make our walks/interaction in the community better for the next handler team. This has been a growth journey for me, as I learn to manage the frustration and anxieties of my mental health. Because of the sailing project, I met other veterans crippled by PTS, by sharing with them about the Department of Veteran Affairs PAD program and AD. Maybe they too might feel the benefit of being teamed with furry friend.
We know you love to sail and have created a wonderful organisation Salt Water Veterans – what is the purpose of this organisation?
My wife (Jen) and I have co-founded the Saltwater Veterans Sailing Project, and it is now a registered Health Promotion Charity with the ACNC. It aims to pay forward the support my family and I have experienced and to alleviate the social isolation commonly faced by veterans (and their families) who have been wounded, injured, or are dealing with illness. We have been achieving this through the sport of sailing. The aim is rally fellow veterans to help each other to organise social sailing activities a bit like the old army adventurous training model – where the activity is the vehicle to the outcome. Sailing is our vehicle to social connection. Because of Reggie, we have specifically fostered an environment where veteran handler teams feel welcome with their assistance dogs, and we have had more than 10 assistance dog teams involved.