Hiland Inmates Train Service Dog for Wounded Warrior

The home of Capt. Christopher Harrington is a little fuller after receiving a new family member – Sophie, a golden retriever and newly graduated service dog.

Sophie was trained by three women at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River as part of a program with Canine Partners of Alaska. Inmates at the facility help train dogs to become companions of wounded, active or non-active military members.

Harrington was injured by a mortar blast in Iraq in 2006. His former boss recommended he try a service dog to assist him in everyday living, and Harrington thought it was a good idea. He began the application process, and soon, he was training with Sophie once a week to get to know the dog and what she was capable of.

Sophie went home with Harrington’s family, which includes a wife and two children. They welcomed the new addition.

“It means a lot,” Harrington said. “It means that I'll have another ability to kind of focus on something when I'm in a stressful situation or, yeah, or just simply need some peace of mind, and Sophie will provide that because it more or less makes me focus on her, which makes me forget about everything else, which can be a good thing sometimes.”

The women of the correctional center trained Sophie to recognize stress symptoms and comfort her companion. She will also be able to pick up dropped items, come to her companion’s aid if he falls and make sure her companion’s path is clear by looking around corners for him.

Amber Martin, who helped train Sophie when the dog was just about 8 months old, said the experience changed her.

“The program helped me tremendously,” she said. “I mean, I have found my calling, I want to work with - I currently work at a doggy daycare right now, and I absolutely love it.”

Martin said saying goodbye to Sophie was rewarding.

“It's this feeling of joy, of unbelievable love for the program that we have, and to see her go to these people, you know, this is the most amazing thing, and he's got kids and so, I just think that it's great,” she said. “I couldn't help but cry.”

Contact Reba Lean