Nonprofit helps veteran after service dog dies

LOGAN — A veteran from Cache Valley is getting the gift that may help save his life. The service dog that he credits for getting him out of the house to get an education and a job recently passed away.

Friday was a day of starting over. A day that at first, Michael Fink wasn’t sure could happen.

“Each day’s been getting rougher and rougher, but I’ve just been looking forward to today to keep myself going,” Fink told KSL TV.

Before Jasmine, the Leonberger, there was Ariel, who was also a Leonberger. Before they met, Fink struggled to leave his home. His PTSD as an Iraq War veteran was crippling.

But with Ariel, he could go to school, graduate from Utah State University, and get a job, moving his family to Boise. That’s why this day was so important for Fink’s whole family.

Since Ariel passed from old age, this is a chance to keep going.

“Michael (Fink) didn’t sound good when he called,” Raelene Penman, president and founder of the Rocky Mountain Service Dog Project. “And I just told him, ‘Please just stay with us, be with us. Be with your family.'”

Penman told Fink to be with his family, and the organization would find her another dog and get her trained. “So that you can continue on the path that you’re on right now.”

Penman and her staff trained Ariel before, and they pitched in their own money to get Jasmine, as donations were down. For the coming months, Penman and Fink will be driving so they can meet between Logan and Boise to continue training Jasmine, with or without the donations.

Either way, Penman said it will be worth it. “Because he’s definitely not broken. He’s a good man, and he takes care of his family. And he’s doing everything he an. And he’s not going to be a statistic,” Penman said.

Fink now has a renewed hope for himself, and a belief that others like him can get help too.

“They just need to reach out,” Fink said. “They’ll help. They save lives.”