(Palmetto, FL) February 21, 2020
Stefanie Marvin-Miller of Murfreesboro, Tenn. felt proud to be the first woman in her family to join the military.
Two great-grandfathers served in World War II, and her grandfather served in the Army. In 2013, Stefanie enlisted in the Army National Guard with hopes of a long military career. She worked as a Human Resource Specialist, the same position held by her great-grandfather. This soldier took great pride in supporting her unit in Operation Enduring Freedom, and her ambition to follow in her grandfathers’ footsteps grew.
But in 2016, at just 22, while serving her country, Stefanie was the victim of a violent sexual assault that devastated her dreams and sparked a downward spiral of post-traumatic stress. Paralyzing fear, panic attacks and seclusion overcame her daily, and ultimately, led to an honorable medical discharge.
In her search for help, Stefanie found renewed hope and restored courage in the form of a beautiful yellow Labrador service dog named Leland. At Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Fla., Stefanie and Leland bonded and became an inseparable team. Back in Murfreesboro, Stefanie married and started college. She can now travel and do every day things like go to the grocery store and walk in the park without falling apart; and the balance issues, headaches and terrors that once stalked her have become manageable obstacles.
Stefanie says that several service dog schools turned her down in her quest to be paired with a service dog. They told her that “Military Sexual Trauma” was not the same as combat-induced trauma, and she did not qualify for help. But thanks to Southeastern Guide Dogs, just 98 days after her discharge from the Army in 2018, Leland was in her life, for good.
To find out more about Stefanie Marvin-Miller’s journey through the darkness of PTSD into the light of a service dog’s unconditional love, please contact Ruth Lando at Southeastern Guide Dogs. Stefanie is available for interviews.
About Southeastern Guide Dogs
Southeastern Guide Dogs transforms lives by creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs. Our organization operates the most advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world. Our experts breed, raise, and train elite working dogs—including guide dogs, service dogs, and skilled companion dogs—and provide life-changing services for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military. Pursuing our mission since 1982, Southeastern Guide Dogs now has over 1,200 dogs under our auspices.
All of our services—which include selective breeding and expert dog training; comprehensive on-campus student instruction; and the most robust alumni support program in North America—are provided at no cost to recipients. We rely 100% on private donations and receive no government funding. Southeastern Guide Dogs has the distinction of being dually accredited by the two premier, global accreditation bodies: the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International. Learn more at www.GuideDogs.org.