PTSD More than Meets the Eye
My father, Brain Paulus is a fabrication shop owner but he’s also a Navy veteran. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan for six years off and on, never being home for more than three weeks at a time. He suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This makes it difficult for him to be in public with a plethora of people as well as surprises such as loud noises. Last year, he looked into getting a service dog to help him with his nightmares and flashbacks. This November that became a reality when he got paired with Lexie. My dad takes Lexie everywhere he goes, even when he’s at work. With this photo essay I wanted to convey what it means to work and live with PTSD and a service dog.
By Kenzie Paulus
This is the first thing you see when you walk into my dad’s shop.
This is Lexie. Much like my dad, half of her time is spent being quiet and the other half she gets up and expels some of her energy.
With his work, he’s in control whereas if he’s in a public area and he hears loud noises, he can shut down and have panic attacks.
Lexie gets scared when there are loud noises and goes to lay in the office.
This is her refuge. If my dad isn’t in the same room, she goes to check on him every 15 minutes or so then goes back to sleep in her bed.
This is the shop floor and where my dad is most comfortable.
With just one other employee, a lot of the business’s operations rest on his shoulders.
Lexie’s bed is just feet away from my dad at all times, that way she can keep an eye on him and go to him when he begins to get agitated.
At least once a day Lexie and my dad, “dance”. He does this to bond with her as well as take a break from his strenuous work.
When this photo was taken, my dad was getting frustrated and just 15 seconds or so after he was visibly getting agitated, Lexie jumped in his lap and started pawing at him trying to comfort him.