Southeastern Service Dog Changes Riverview Veteran’s Life
Giving a hint of a smile, Morgan Watt’s service dog Foley appears a bit shy while posing for a photo at his home in Riverview. The goldador was bred, raised and trained by Southeastern Guide Dogs and is Watt’s companion 24 hours a day. PHOTO BY LOIS KINDLE
By Lois Kindle
As a former military policeman and first responder, Morgan Watt used to train bomb-sniffing K-9s in the Air Force’s Dog Handler Team program. He depended on those dogs to save the lives of others. Today a different kind of dog — one bred, raised and trained by Southeastern Guide Dogs — is keeping him alive.
Watt learned to fly in his free time while he was stationed in Okinawa and left the military in 1995 to become a commercial and private jet pilot. That career ended in 2012 when he began experiencing chronic pain in his sinuses, trigeminal neuralgia and constant migraines. The intense, debilitating pain triggered the onset of latent PTSD, he said.
“I describe it like layers of an onion, an accumulation of trauma events I experienced as a first responder while I was in the military,” Watt added. “I had flashbacks and went through an existential crisis. My vulnerability actually made me step away from my religious faith.”
Watt was treated for ongoing vertigo for nine months in 2013 as a patient at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
“They determined it was associated with migraines and chronic pain syndrome,” Watt said. “I was constantly tired, had to take lots of naps and was chronically depressed.”
Diagnosed as 70 percent disabled, the Riverview resident could no longer work. He now supports himself through insurance and government disability payments.
In 2014 a counselor suggested Watt get out of the house and find something to do to give him a sense of purpose.
“I was feeling suicidal at the time,” Watt said. “I just wanted to be done with the pain.”
Given his past experience with dogs, he decided to volunteer at Southeastern Guide Dogs, where his wife, Amber, worked as a full-time puppy-sponsor specialist. He cleaned kennels, fed the dogs and helped keep them mentally occupied with an assortment of enrichment exercises.
“For me, Southeastern was kind of like coming home,” he said. “I remembered the relationships I had with dogs in the military and realized how important they were in my life. I trusted them completely.
“It was such a spiritual relationship,” Watt recalled. “You had to be at one with them. It was other worldly. For me, there’s no finer example of unconditional love.”
Watt then volunteered to raise a future guide dog and took in one of Southeastern’s golden retriever puppies. But after six months, the dog began exhibiting anxiety whenever she went into a store, and feeling the pup’s nervous energy, Watt began experiencing PTSD-related anxiety.
The dog was returned to Southeastern Guide Dogs and later placed with a family in FishHawk.
“There was almost an instant recurrence of depression, and Amber didn’t want to leave me alone,” Watt said. “She recommended I apply for a service dog (through the Southeastern Guide Dogs program for veterans).
That’s when Watt’s life was transformed.
An incredible gift
A goldador puppy named Foley, who didn’t quite make it through guide dog training, came back to Southeastern for reassignment and was given to Watt as a service dog.
Then 18 months old, Foley responded quickly to handling after Watt himself was trained at home for several weeks by Southeastern Guide Dog specialists. To establish a bond between the two, for the first 30 days Watt and Foley were tethered by leash around the clock, except for when Watt was in the shower. At bedtime, Foley was tied to the bed.
The two have since become inseparable.
Watt discovered Foley could recognize symptoms of an oncoming migraine and trained the puppy to fetch his medicine bag, since he often has balance problems related to the headaches. He once fell and suffered a concussion after he hit his head on the tile floor.
The dog also learned to “create space” around Watt whenever he feels anxiety in a crowd and to stand like a sawhorse when given the “brace” command when the 45-year-old gets dizzy.
His wife is amazed by the dog.
“Before he had Foley, Morgan was seeking all available treatment options, and the process was taking a long time. His struggle was severe and frustrating,” she said. “Then he got Foley. He has a perfect attitude, he’s always happy and is totally focused on whatever Morgan wants to do.
“He can’t make all of [Morgan’s] issues go away, but he certainly makes them easier to deal with,” she continued. “I feel secure knowing he’s there for Morgan 24 hours a day.”
Foley is much more than Watt’s service dog. He’s a beloved member of the family who Watt credits with maintaining its cohesiveness.
“He’s a great babysitter and is able to connect with the kids (ages 9 and 11) when I can’t,” Watt said. “He tucks them in at night upon command (“tuck, tuck”) and lays with them until they go to sleep.”
Foley’s loyal companionship has given Watt a quality of life that helps him persevere.
“I probably wouldn’t be here today without him,” Watt said. “In the past, when my wife was at work, I had moments of such darkness. But when you have a happy dog wagging its tail all the time, it’s hard to stay in them.”
For information on the Southeastern Guide Dogs program for veterans, visit www.guidedogs.org, where an online application, eligibility criteria and contact information for the admissions team are available. General inquiries can be made weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by calling 941-729-5665.
