Chad Althiser

U.S. Marine Corps

Chad Althiser joined the Marines in 1994 at the age of 18. His duty stations included postings in U.S. and overseas to Okinawa, Japan, as well as twice to Iraq (in 2003 and 2004) as an artillery officer. Upon his return from Iraq, he was assigned to the Marine Corps Security Force Company in King's Bay, Georgia, and was promoted to captain. He later transferred to Expeditionary Warfare School and was assigned to 29 Palms, California, where he served from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, he was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2015, Major Chad Althiser retired from the Marines after 20 years and 9 months of service

Chad's three deployments left him a changed man. He has been very open about sharing his journey through post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2017, he was partnered with service dog Mikey, who became a vital part of his recovery.

Chad first discussed getting a service dog with his occupational therapist because he was "feeling disconnected from people, even my family," he says. When he met a VetDogs graduate and his service dog and learned about the PTSD research study VetDogs was involved with, "I knew it was the right path for me."

Chad was nervous the first time he met his service dog, but in the four years they have been together, "Many positive changes have occurred. First, I have been more present and calm. This allows me to be engaged with my family and others, but also helps me to get the best out of Mikey in a service capacity."

He adds: "Second, the connection I have with Mikey is unconditional. I don't need to perform a certain way, and I don't have anxiety about what he'll think of me. To Mikey, I'm enough. Mikey has also helped me focus when in public crowds. Our interactions require that I stay in tune with him. The tangible and intangible benefits of an AVD service dog are near infinite, and words can't capture it all."