Local Veteran and Service Dog Honored for #StillServing

Liverpool resident Scott Cox and his service dog, Chewy, are being recognized in the national Veterans of Foreign Wars #StillServing campaign honoring veterans who continue to serve after the military.

After returning from Iraq, Cox withdrew from people and life. His doctor mentioned getting a service dog and although he had never considered having one he decided to train his dog, Chewy.

Cox says Chewy helped him get out of the house and become part of the community again, giving him renewed hope. Chewy is trained to sense his moods and “alert” and distract him when anxiety or depression kick in. Cox recalls one time when he and Chewy were at school reading to a class. During the middle of the book, Chewy climbed into Cox’s lap and hugged him to calm him down, and Cox hadn’t even realized his anxiety was elevated.

Cox is grateful to Chewy for giving him his life back and is determined to do his own giving back. Chewy and Cox can be seen around town, advocating for veterans, recruiting new members to the post which he is now commander of, or visiting schools, parades, festivals and suicide awareness programs.

Continually on the lookout for someone who needs help and the encouragement he needed at his low point, Cox says if he can help just one person, all his effort is worth it.