Tonja Myles bent down to rub the belly of her new emotional support service dog Misty, a 3-year-old Australian Shepherd.
The July 28 visit took place at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where Misty was trained by inmate Randy Finch as part of the Prisoners Assisting Warriors Service program.
Myles, a former Louisiana Army National Guard military police officer who suffers from PTSD from her past traumas including attempted suicide and childhood and adult sexual abuse, pledged to the inmates in the PAWS program that she would spread the word about their work training service dogs for placement to veterans.
Myles’ mission, she said, is “healing while helping,” and Misty will accompany her as she speaks to others as a mental health advocate. Myles is also an ordained minister, author, community activist and peer counselor who brings decades of experience as a recovering addict to a faith-based approach to substance abuse recovery and community assistance.
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