Moxie, a special canine, played an important role in saving Christy Gardner's life after a devastating incident that left her on the brink of death. Serving as a sergeant with the United States Army's military police overseas in 2006, Christy's unit faced an attack that resulted in severe injuries, including the loss of two fingers and both legs, along with other critical wounds.

For a challenging year and a half, Christy battled for survival in the hospital. However, after being told by doctors that she would never regain her independence, she fell into a profound state of depression. The prospect of relying on her parents for care as a fully disabled person was unbearable, and she struggled to find the strength to carry on. But then, everything changed when she crossed paths with Moxie.

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“They said I would never live alone, or walk, or ride a bike, or swim,” Christy recalled. “I wasn’t allowed to cook, because I could catch the house on fire because of my disabilities. I wasn’t allowed to bathe alone. It was extremely defeating meeting with them, saying that I would be dependent on my parents or a caregiver for the rest of my life, and that I would never be active again.”

Doctors suggested Christy get a service dog, which is how Moxie the golden retriever came into her life. Service dogs are highly trained to help with everyday tasks like opening and closing doors, carrying bags and other items, putting away groceries, and turning lights on and off. Moxie was also trained to detect seizures, which plague Christy due to a head injury she suffered in the attack.

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“They said I would never live alone, or walk, or ride a bike, or swim,” Christy recalled. “I wasn’t allowed to cook, because I could catch the house on fire because of my disabilities. I wasn’t allowed to bathe alone. It was extremely defeating meeting with them, saying that I would be dependent on my parents or a caregiver for the rest of my life, and that I would never be active again.”

Doctors suggested Christy get a service dog, which is how Moxie the golden retriever came into her life. Service dogs are highly trained to help with everyday tasks like opening and closing doors, carrying bags and other items, putting away groceries, and turning lights on and off. Moxie was also trained to detect seizures, which plague Christy due to a head injury she suffered in the attack.

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Inside Christy’s chest, the heart of a warrior beats on. As she got stronger, she was amazed by the power of service animals to literally save people’s lives. She decided to help other veterans experience the power of service dogs by starting a non-profit called Mission Working Dogs in 2020. The program trains puppies and matches them with disabled veterans.

“I wanted to serve in the Army for forever,” Christy explains. “When that got cut short, I felt useless. I needed a purpose, and this feels like a great way to continue to serve.”

Christy is now a certified dog trainer, and Mission Working Dogs is flourishing. They’ve now raised 58 dogs and a huge new facility on 12vacres in Oxford, Maine opens in 2023. Sadly, Moxie passed away, but her memory is preserved forever on the non-profit’s new campus.

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So far, thirteen service dogs have graduated from Christy’s program. Almost all of them now work with veterans.

“With our first graduating class, two of the veterans said that if it wasn’t for their dogs, they wouldn’t have made it through the pandemic,” said Christy. “I don’t need a thank you. Just knowing that we made a difference and basically saved their lives is enough.”

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Christy has a new service dog called Doug, so there’s no stopping her! This is one wounded veteran who understands that a life spent with animals is a life well spent.