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62 | SIGNATURE MONTANA "We're trying to remove barriers, so the idea is for the veterans not to have to drive any more than two hours to get to a training location," Dee De says. Helena resident Candice Griffith, a retired Montana National Guard major who was the first female officer from the Big Sky State to lead soldiers into Afghanistan, admits she was a bit overwhelmed when she and her two-year-old border collie-poodle mix, Gio, first became "Team Gio." "Lile by lile, you start working on tasks and meeting people in your training group," Candice says. "You get advice and support through them and build a bond with other handlers like you would a military group." She used the building-block tasks she learned to progressively train Gio to become a full-fledged PTSD service dog. Today, he helps her with medication reminders and anxiety interruption. "We're working on being in a brace position to help me stand because I have lower back arthritis," the retired major explains. "To pull that off, he would either be on the side of me or in front of me and would stand in a solid stance, and I would put my arm around his collar and down his back, and he would help prop me up into a seated or standing position." Team Gio has been working together since January of 2021. "I'm geing much more out of it than I ever would have thought," Candice says. "e unspoken bond you form with a service dog who can help you navigate life is life-changing. I have a new sense of freedom and independence that I'd been lacking. It's empowering." Continued on page 64 Photo by Jane Rispen Photo by Jane Rispen Gio's tags let everyone know he has a very important job. It has been a very busy year for "Team Gio!"

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