Ailing Officer, Military Veteran Receives Morale-Boosting Gift: Gracie, The Service Dog
They say dog is man's best friend, but that's only part of the story for a certain police detective in Lynwood.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports.
Dan Kirby's hitting the road with his new best friend Gracie -- a working dog working to keep him calm.
Kirby served two tours of duty in the Middle East, and there were repercussions.
"Everything is better. I don't have to fight with myself as much," he says.
Cancer may have stirred up Kirby's PTSD. He's also a two-decade veteran of the Lynwood Police Department, and the officers he mentored there felt compelled to help.
They put together a Go Fund Me account, raising in two days the $12,000 necessary to bring Gracie, a German Shepherd service dog, into Kirby's life.
Gracie's handlers are here from Canada helping them bond.
Gracie's been taught to sense if her master's breathing or sudden movements make him tense or ill at ease.
"It helps emotionally," Kirby says. "I got something else to really look at and think about besides cancer."
Gracie's handlers, Baden Canines, have placed thousands of service and police dogs over three decades. They'll be here for training throughout the week, and will check in over the coming months.
Kirby and Gracie are having a coming out party of sorts this Friday, a celebration with all the donors who brought the two together.