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Local veteran-dog team four years strong

The Mountain Press - 8/13/2017

SEVIERVILLE -- Billy Marshall's dog is known to freeze up like a statue, her Labrador Retriever body strong, stiff and quite unmovable. What might be considered an annoying behavior by a pet owner out for a stroll with the family dog is, in the case of Lucy, a behavior acquired after approximately 1,800 hours of training.

Marshall, a Sevier Countian and Air Force veteran, and Lucy are a team put together by Smoky Mountain Service Dogs. It is Lucy's job, among other duties, to protect Marshall from falls. Wounded during his military service, Marshall has a prosthetic leg and can face an increased risk of falling. "I had had her probably about a month," Marshall said. "Me and my wife went shopping." He described a store with a mock living room set up for display. "My prosthetic foot got caught on one of those throw rugs. She walked up like a statue."

The shopping trip's mock living room incident was one of multiple falls that Lucy has prevented in her four years as Marshall's partner. The 7-year-old dog and the veteran are a team that know each other's moves well. "She's sort of like a giant cane," said Marshall. "I don't know how she does it."

Part of Lucy's duties include retrieving items that Marshall has dropped or that are simply in a location away from him. "If I point at something, if my phone rings," Marshall said, explaining that he doesn't even have to give her a command to bring his ringing phone. When the service dog hears his phone ringing, she brings it to him with no command necessary.

Though Lucy puts in many hours of work as Marshall's service dog, she can also be as relaxed as any canine. "She's just so laid back," said Marshall. "She's the most laid-back dog I've ever seen in my life." He said that as the father of two teenage girls, he attends many sporting events and school functions. Lucy remains relaxed even inside a noisy Northview Academy gymnasium and has been known to fall asleep at loud sporting events.

Asked what those unfamiliar with service dogs should keep in mind when they meet a dog and its handler, Marshall requested that people focus on the person - not the dog. "The biggest thing is to leave the dog alone," Marshall said of service dogs. "I've literally had people chase us down. Please do not distract the dog. It could end up making me fall. Ignore the dog. Talk to the veteran or the operator, yes."

Marshall speaks from experience. He was only the third veteran to receive a trained dog from Smoky Mountain Service Dogs. The Loudon, Tennessee, organization has provided trained dogs to injured military veterans - at no cost to the veteran - since its founding in 2011. Mike Kitchens, volunteer and chair of the organization's board, said that trainers work not only to prepare dogs for service but to pair them correctly with the veteran that needs their unique skills.

"Billy needed a large dog for balance," said Kitchens. "If they're on prosthetics, we'll watch them walk. They all walk differently. The trainers look at the skill set of each dog and the needs of the vet. Lucy is a big strong black Lab." He explained that all of Smoky Mountain Service Dog's canines receive about 1,800 hours of training and that all are given the same foundation of skill sets. Customized training takes place for veterans who need a dog to perform specific skills, such as waking up its owner when a medication alarm sounds or taking a special rope to another member of the household to alert that person to a veteran who has fallen.

Marshall is grateful for the match that trainers made with Lucy. "We've been together four years last month," he said in an Aug. 9 interview. "Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, they're great. It's one of the best organizations I've seen or been part of. I'm so grateful for what they've done. This has helped me tremendously. I've seen it help veterans who are worse off than me."

Marshall also said he was grateful to the American Valor Foundation for its support of Smoky Mountain Service Dogs. The nonprofit was established by Wayne and Deby Kyle in honor of the legacy of their son, Chris Kyle, who inspired the movie "American Sniper." The foundation, which selects only one organization to support each year, in 2017 chose Smoky Mountain Service Dogs as the beneficiary of its Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit. The event raised $225,000 for Smoky Mountain Service Dogs.

Smoky Mountain Service Dogs hosts a fundraiser featuring Wayne and Deby Kyle on Oct. 7. Tickets are $100 per person. The event takes place at The Venue, 7690 Creekwood Park Blvd., Lenoir City. Information is available at www.smokymountainservicedogs.org or 865-986-8340.

Contact Juli at jneil@themountainpress.com or on Twitter at @NeilWatsonJ.