Meet Robert and service dog D. Don
Robert stands with D. Don, a black Lab, in front of a tree at Myakka State Park.
Robert Doll and service dog D. Don
Franklin, NC
D. Don or “Mr. D.” as Robert Doll calls his black Labrador service dog, is a friendly and laidback fellow that loves to observe everything around him. “It didn’t take long for us to bond,” he says. Robert has had a “tough time with people and organizations over the years,” and a difficult journey on the way to having a service dog by his side. Robert now looks forward to getting out more with D. Don and to being less isolated from everything but his wife and daughter at home. He has also developed a target shooting hobby and plans to teach D. Don to accompany him to the shooting range, with ear protection, of course.
An intellectual man who enjoys reading, watching TV documentaries, and cooking, Robert earned master’s degrees in both ministry and teaching. He came to his religious calling in his 40s, after a career in telecommunications and information systems, and after service in the Marines as a radio operator during the Vietnam War. With PTSD as an obstacle to overcome, going to the supermarket and other public places has been “a very stressful experience for me,” Robert notes. “I have a lot of hyper-vigilance so the ‘block’, ‘watch’ and ‘search’ commands that D. Don knows will help me a lot.”
