Michelle McLoud is a U.S. Navy veteran who struggled with PTSD.
At one point, the Oxnard woman was homeless. She’s now doing better and gives a lot of credit to her service dog, Minnie.
"Minnie is my lifeline. I feel like every day is just a happier day when she's around."
She added that having Minnie, a Chihuahua-Pug mix, is literally a lifesaver.
"I've had her for five years now, and so many things have happened in five years that she has helped me through, she has helped me cope with, just by her being there," said McLoud. "On top of that, she knows when I'm in pain, she knows when I'm depressed, she knows when I'm down, and she knows how to make me happy."
Some people think service animals are the unsung heroes in our communities. They can be service dogs like Minnie, providing moral and mental health support, and therapy horses used for kids and adults with physical and emotional issues. Teams trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation based in Santa Paula just returned from searching for earthquake victims in Venezuela.
A project is underway to create a national monument in Washington, D.C. for service animals and their handlers.
"We're honoring the service and sacrifice, and the amazing deeds of all kinds of service animals, and their handlers," said Susan Bahary, founder and sculptor of the National Service Animals Monument project, which is proposed for the National Mall.
"They are animals that are anything from our horses to our dogs, our cats, carrier pigeons, the dolphins. There are so many animals that provide for our safety, our security, and our independence. When you go to Washington, D.C., there are various national monuments. We've already been authorized by Congress to build on federal land. We won't know the design until after we secure the precise location."
Bahary explained how she became involved in the effort: "I started sculpting in 1989, but I became involved in this effort through the commission I received in 1994 to create our country's first official war dog memorial, which is located on Guam. It's a monument to the dogs (that) served in the military during World War II. That led to many more monuments across the United States and abroad."
A fundraising campaign has started for the project, which is estimated to cost around $25 million.
McLoud loves the idea of honoring service animals. She admitted she was in a bad place mentally before she got Minnie. Last year, the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation helped get them off the homeless list and into their Oxnard apartment.
She credits the tiny dog with helping her through some dark times.
"I think I could speak on behalf of a lot of veterans that have service dogs. The reason they have the dog, or the cat, or whatever service animal is to keep them alive. It's to keep them out of the rabbit hole, out of the dark place."
The monument project is receiving support from a number of groups in the service animal community. But, supporters say there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the privately funded project. In addition to congressional approval of a site, they have three and a half years to raise the $25 million needed for it to become a reality.
