Jo-Ann Rodriguez
U.S. Army
When Jo-Ann Rodriguez was young, she had one goal in mind: to join the military when she was old enough. With a family background steeped in military service, it was no surprise that she would follow in their footsteps.
Rodriguez joined the Army's ROTC program during college in Puerto Rico. When she graduated in 1988 and enlisted in the Army, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
Rodriguez loved being in the Army. "It was an exciting career," she says. She planned to stay in "until I was a colonel." However, just a couple of years into her military service, she began experiencing numbness in her face and arms. "Suddenly, my body was getting tired and I was finding it difficult to walk and run," she says. She began to trip and fall. An MRI showed she had an autoimmune disease.
Although she can walk short distances, her disease has affected her mobility to the point where she uses a wheelchair most of the time. Rodriguez wanted a service dog, but it took almost 15 years before she finally got one. The biggest stumbling block she found, was that "no one would give [a service dog] to someone in Puerto Rico." After 10 years of trying, she gave up for a while.
Rodriguez came across a news story about America's VetDogs and began reading everything she could about the organization. "I called and explained that I lived in Puerto Rico and wanted to get a service dog." Within 15 to 20 minutes, she recalls, "I got a call back and was told to go ahead and apply." Three days later, she had sent back the completed application.
Rodriguez was invited to class and partnered with service dog Hickok. The dog has been trained to perform tasks such as retrieving items, opening doors, and providing bracing and counterbalance when she walks. He goes everywhere with Rodriguez. When they are together at doctors' appointments at the VA, Rodriguez often engages with other veterans to answer their questions about service dogs. "Hickok has given me his unconditional love and brought happiness back to my life. I don't have a reason to be sad," she says.