One of the biggest things Stoker has given me is that sense of safety. I am single. I live alone, and I am not looking to have anyone else in my life, so as someone who lives alone, there's always been a bit of feeling less safe for myself. Even though Stoker is not trained to do it and Stoker doesn't have any sort of attack commands or anything like that—he's my giant teddy bear—I know that if anything happened in my home, he would alert me to it, and that sense of safety is invaluable. Being able to sleep through the night and not have concerns that someone is going to do something to me in my sleep is absolutely invaluable.
As well, we've spoken about how, within the military, being part of a unit or a section almost gives you that element of family, and because of my experience in the forces, that family experience wasn't necessarily the best. Now, within the dog unit, I am part of a unit where I feel safe and comfortable with my male peers. It's the first time in a very long time that I have been able to have male peers who are veterans and feel safe, comfortable and respected.