Meet Sean and service dog Pella
Sean Brown and service dog Pella
Savannah, Georgia
Sean sits on a fallen tree with Pella sitting between his feet.
Originally posted in 2018
Sean Brown stays busy giving the outside world the illusion that everything’s okay. As a sports announcer, radio show host, musician, church member, father of two kids, and the voice of the Savannah State Tigers, he’s on the go. But he spends too much of his energy avoiding crowds and situations that trigger his anxiety and hyper-reaction from post-traumatic stress disorder.
After seven years in the Army in both the Intelligence Corps and Quartermaster Corps, injuries cut short Sean’s time in the service. Motorcycles became both his escape and therapy with the “thrill of the road” easing his ever-growing issues. But when his body could no longer take the stress of riding, he knew it was time to find help…and fast.
“I started avoiding a lot of life,” Sean says, but he’s hopeful that’s about to change because of a sweet black Lab named Pella. She’s the gentle, attentive service dog at his side, and she has what it takes to ease him back into the lifestyle he craves. “She’s keeping me calm,” he says. “My family has noticed…I keep smiling—my smile is back. I’ve lived under a mask for the last seven years and I had to hide everything. Now I can take the mask off. I can be me.”
