Michael Kruk, Veteran Services and Program Coordinator for Soldier’s Best Friend (right) presents Julian Wyatt, JWV Post 619 Commander, with a graduation certificate earned for completion of a year of rigorous training with his dog Baxter to become a certified service dog. Following graduation, Kruk was invited to speak at a JWV meeting where a donation of $3,500 was awarded to Soldier’s Best Friend.
Nancy Stutman
This was not an ordinary weekend. It was graduation day for Baxter Walter Wyatt, a three-year-old rescue with a year’s worth of training that would qualify him to be a service dog to Julian Wyatt, Commander of Jewish War Veterans (JWV) Copper State Post 619.
The ceremony was sponsored by and took place at the headquarters of Soldier’s Best Friend, a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing service dogs to U.S. military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other physical and psychological challenges.
The mission of the organization is to improve the quality of life for these veterans by pairing them with trained service dogs to help alleviate symptoms and provide companionship. The program not only helps veterans regain independence and confidence but also promotes the adoption of shelter dogs. This gives them a purpose and a home while saving two lives at once, the veteran and the dog.
Though Julian had previously owned emotional support dogs over his 30-year military career, he now felt it was time to get a service dog to help with balance, anxiety, crowd control, companionship, and emotional support. It took over five months on a waiting list for a friend of his who worked at a shelter to find the right dog for Julian. On Oct. 18, 2024, Baxter became a member of the Wyatt family—Julian, Lisa, and cats Boris and Asha.
Then began a year of intensive one-hour training periods two days a week with Soldier’s Best Friend trainer Pam Beasley who has an innovative approach to teaching that is unique and effective. Every Monday, Baxter and Jules met Pam at East Valley K-9 Services for an indoor training session to prepare Baxter for several tests to obtain his certificate. “We trained alongside other veterans with their dogs. We all bonded and grew together as a team,” explains Wyatt. They even had airport jump seats in the training room, balance bars, and things for indoor training. Every Wednesday was devoted to social outings such as The Home Depot, Fry’s, a shopping mall, a barber shop, and restaurants.
“I learned so much about myself during this training right alongside Baxter,” confesses Julian. “I opened up, became more like my old self before combat, and have fallen in love with my life again. That’s what Baxter and this program have done for me,” he happily concluded.