Page 65 of Interference

“Yeah. And almost all the guys have dogs, so whenever we come to things like this…” She gestured toward the house and scowled. “They’re all super sweet about penning up their dogs when I come over, but I hate doing that to them, you know? I know they’re part of the family.” She chafed her arms again. “They just scare me, and I really, really want to get over that.”

“Okay. Well, she’s about as mellow as they come.”

“That’s a job requirement, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “It is. She has to be able to focus on me and react when I need her to.”

Monica’s eyes flicked up to me. “If, um… If you don’t mind my asking…”

“What’s her job?”

She nodded shyly. “I… don’t want to be intrusive. It’s just kind of fascinating, the things service dogs can do. But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s all right. She’s a PTSD dog.”

Monica sat up a little. “Oh.”

“It’s… I did a few combat tours. So she helps when I have panic attacks or night terrors.”

She shifted her gaze back to Lily, who was resting her head on my leg. “And that—it makes a difference? It helps you?”

“Like nothing else.” I patted Lily’s back, which got her long tail wagging. “There was a learning curve to working with her, but once we found our groove, it was like night and day.”

“Wow,” Monica murmured. We were both silent for a moment. She was still uneasy, but she’d relaxed a little since she’d come outside. Though she was watching Lily, her expression and body language were starting to tilt toward curiosity.

Cautiously, I offered, “Would it help if you could pet her?”

She bit her lip. “Maybe? I don’t know. But I don’t want to interrupt her when she’s working.”

“I can take off her vest. She knows she’s off-duty if I do.”

Monica raised her eyebrows. “You can do that?”

I nodded. “I don’t usually do it when we’re out and about, but a few minutes is fine.” Yeah, I wasn’t going to be in the running for Service Dog Handler of the Year, and Lily’s trainer would probably have words with me about some of the things I did. Hopefully even she could understand the pros and cons of this situation. To Monica, I said, “It’s up to you.”

She shifted a little, pushing her shoulders back as if she were steeling herself. “Is it true they can sense fear?”

“They can,” I acknowledged. “But she’s not aggressive. The ‘worst’ thing I can imagine her doing is alerting on you like she does on me.”

Monica turned wide eyes on me. “How does she do that?”

“She’ll nudge my hand or lean on my leg. If I’m really wound up, she’ll put her paws in my lap and lean against my chest.”

Monica squirmed. “I think that would make me more scared.”

“Because a dog jumping on you is a trigger. For me, it pulls my focus away from my trigger, and when she leans on me, it’s…” I pursed my lips. “I can’t remember how the trainer explained it, but the pressure of her body and her paws is soothing in a primal way.”

“So… like when a cat climbs on your chest and kneads?”

“Probably? I’ve never had a cat.” I chuckled, nodding toward the house. “I think if one of Anthony—Aussie’s cats ever climbed on my chest, I’d suffocate.”

A laugh burst out of her, which seemed to relax her minutely. “They’re pretty big.”

“Right?” I ran my thumb down one of Lily’s long ears. “So that’s the only thing she might do if she senses fear or anxiety. But she’s also trained to zero in on me. I’ve seen other people get agitated or upset when she’s around, and she completely ignores them. That’s probably what she’ll do with you, too.” I nodded down at her. “Notice how she hasn’t alerted on you this whole time.”

“Oh.” Monica wrung her hands in her lap. “That’s… That’s true.” She watched Lily for a moment, then quietly said, “I’d… like to try petting her? Will it upset her if I jump?”

“Nah. She’s used to me having flashbacks and nightmares. You’ll be fine.” I unbuckled the service dog vest and slipped it off. “Lily, stand down.”

---