PLYMOUTH >> She’s outgoing, eager, affectionate — all the qualities you value in man’s best friend.
And even though she’s unknowingly working toward an even higher purpose than the usual friendship and loyalty — with a goal of assisting a disabled veteran — right now Liberty thinks she’s just having a good time like any other rambunctious pup, while refining her social etiquette skills a bit.
For the past couple of months the 5-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever has been the constant companion of volunteer trainer Paul Houck, a Comcast tech supervisor in Plymouth Meeting.
Houck, a U.S. Navy veteran and an active member of Comcast’s regional Veterans Network Employee Resource Group (Vet Net), is always looking for ways to support veterans.
When a post by Philadelphia-based Alpha Bravo Canine, an organization that provides trained service dogs to U.S. military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, showed up on Facebook, Houck realized fate was beckoning with another good cause.
“I contacted them about raising a dog with them and they were very interested,” said Houck, a Plymouth Whitemarsh High School graduate who lives in Plymouth Meeting with his family, which also includes a 2-year-old rescued Lab named Inky.
“They came out and did a home visit to see how the other dog behaves with their dog, and they got along very well,” recalled Houck, who watched as Liberty and Inky bonded more deeply every day.
“This is my first foray into working with an organization to train a service dog, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s working out very well. Inky and Liberty do a lot together. He can do some of the things that Liberty does and he tries to do more, but I think she’s a little smarter. But he’s a wonderful dog too. My wife and I take Liberty everywhere we go. She went with us to my daughter’s college for a visit, and we’ve gone to veterans fundraisers together.”
With Comcast being one of the country’s most military-friendly employers, hiring more than 13,000 members of the military community since 2010, it was no surprise to Houck that his Comcast colleagues were fully supportive of Liberty.
“I talked to my manager about things like bringing the dog to work and to make sure that everybody was on board with it. Comcast is very accommodating and is going out of their way to make sure the dog is welcomed,” Houck noted. “We’re pretty proud of the veterans who work here and we’re always looking to hire veterans because we think they’re a good fit for Comcast. We’re very military-friendly here at Comcast and have many different resources for veterans. And you don’t have to be a veteran to be part of it. You may have a spouse or son or daughter who is part of that and we support them as well.”
In addition to becoming a regular fixture around the Plymouth Meeting office, Liberty has experienced plenty of “firsts” at Comcast — her first elevator ride and her first “big” crowd of people while attending a training session for new employees, where Paul spoke about Vet Net.
Comcast’s commitment to veterans dates back to its beginnings in 1963, when it was founded by veteran Ralph Roberts, noted Alexandra Wachman, the company’s public relations manager.
“Ralph Roberts actually served in the Navy, so our commitment to veterans and military dates back to the founding of Comcast when he instilled in the organization that those who served our country make really great employees,” Wachman said. “And it has only grown since then.”
According to Alpha Bravo Canine, it is estimated that 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD, depression, or both. Government studies estimate that 22 U.S. military veterans commit suicide every day.
The nonprofit was founded by mother and son team Jennifer Green, a certified dog trainer and Army wife, and her son, U.S. Marine Kevin Daly, who decided to combine their knowledge and experience of dog training and post deployment struggles to tackle the growing problems faced by veterans and to help lower the suicide rates of veterans by providing emotional and physical support with trained service dogs.
Liberty will one day assist veterans living with combat-related disabilities, ultimately helping to reduce veteran suicides directly linked to PTSD and TBI, Houck said.
“She won’t be paired with a veteran for at least another six months, once she gets all the basic stuff down. Once she’s paired with a veteran she’ll then start getting more specialized training,” explained Houck, who admitted it may be tough to part ways with Liberty when the time comes.
“I keep saying it’s not going to be hard for me but I know it will,” he said. “I know my wife and daughters will struggle when it’s time to give her up ... but we know it’s all for the greater good.”
Of course, like everyone else these days, Liberty will likely keep the world up to date on her every move via social media, Houck predicted.
“More than likely, she’ll be paired with a veteran somewhere in the area and they’ll create a Facebook page for her that they’ll keep us updated,” he said.
For more information on Alpha Bravo Canine, visit AlphaBravoCanine.org.
