Deborah and Max

Branch: Army, National Guard

Location(s): Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq

Time Served: 16 years 

Every good story has adrenaline-filled action, heart-wrenching grief, and a spectacular conclusion—some might even call it fate. For Deborah and Max, though, it felt more like "divine intervention."

After three years of active duty in the Army, working to clean up Vietnam and search for POWs and abandoned U.S. equipment, Deborah paused her service to raise her family. In 2000, she rejoined, serving an additional 13 years in the National Guard.

In 2012, Deborah was deployed to Iraq for a short assignment as a weapons control officer, where she met her first love, Mallory, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois who had recently lost her first handler, KIA. Mallory, a bomb-sniffing dog, took her work seriously. Together, Deborah and Mallory would lead convoys, with Mallory detecting hidden bombs and Deborah marking their locations. Their trust was swift yet solid, essential to the convoy’s safety and mission success. 

On March 17, 2013, an incident changed their lives forever. A hidden roadside bomb detonated close enough to severely injure them both—Deborah’s knees were shattered, and shrapnel embedded in her back; Mallory sustained injuries to her chest, neck, and paw. Both were medically retired after the incident. Deborah was permitted to keep Mallory, and together, they embarked on a long road to recovery. Deborah underwent a double knee replacement, and though the shrapnel was removed from her back, it left her with nerve damage and lifelong challenges.

“Having Mallory by my side all these years is the only reason I made it,” Deborah shared. Taking her battle buddy home provided her with understanding and comfort that many veterans lack. Without Mallory, the toll of PTSD would have been much worse for Deborah.

In March 2024, as Mallory’s health declined, Deborah faced the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to her best friend. Grieving deeply, she now had to confront her physical and mental struggles alone.

Earlier in 2024, a local veteran had passed away, leaving behind a 7-year-old all-black German Shepherd, Max. A local rescue placed Max with a foster family, hoping to eventually find him a veteran to call his own. When Shepherds for Sheepdogs was contacted to help re-home Max, we knew it was a rare case, as we’d never worked directly with a rescue. After evaluating Max’s cognitive abilities and temperament, he passed with flying colors, demonstrating service dog potential.

Months passed with Max in foster care, as no suitable veteran had been identified. Eventually, a contact at the DAV who’d heard of Deborah’s loss reached out, suggesting she meet Max. With Shepherds for Sheepdogs’ support, Max would receive official service dog training. Deborah applied, met all the requirements, and soon adopted Max! Shortly after, Max was sent to Tennessee to begin his training. Though he showed strong potential, Max initially struggled with separation anxiety after his first owner’s passing, especially when left alone or in parked cars. With consistent correction and confidence-building from his handler, Max regained his calm. After months of dedicated training, he completed service dog school successfully.

Reuniting with Deborah has been a healing process for both. As Deborah said, “I’m so thankful to have Max home with me and trained so well! We go everywhere together, and I love him more than I ever thought I could love again. He’s my boy!”

This isn’t fate or coincidence—Max was meant for Deborah. She is our only female veteran of 2024, and Max naturally gravitates toward women, as he demonstrated in his foster home and with his trainer’s daughter. Max has already bonded deeply with Deborah, even alerting her twice to episodes of tachycardia, a task he wasn’t explicitly trained to do.

- SGT Mallory was awarded the silver star upon retirement for saving the lives of many.