Captain listened to David Scott obediently during the interview.

When David Scott joined the Navy in 1962, the then 19-year-old out of Houston was looking for adventure. Little did he know, the adventure he was looking for would eventually send him to a hospital where he’d wake up unable to form words. Twice.

Being paralyzed twice from his injuries left permanent damage, making it hard for Scott, now 68, to live by himself on his ranch in Colorado.

So Scott recently came to Texas to get himself a guide dog. He was recently in Rockwall where he met his new dog, a yellow Labrador Retriever by the name of Captain and a graduate of Patriot PAWS.

“It was love at first sight,” said Scott, who met Captain during a 10-day ‘speed-dating’ session with Patriot PAWS service dogs at Gatesville Women’s State Prison before returning to Rockwall for final training.

Patriot PAWS is a non-profit organization based in Rockwall that provides service dogs to veterans with mobile disabilities. The program receives puppies from breeders then sends them for basic training to the inmates at the Gatesville Women’s State Prison’s Lane Murray Unit and Crain Women’s Correctional Unit.

“They are a special group of people,” Patriot PAWS trainer Tracy McCormack said of the women prisoners who care for the dogs. “The dogs are with them constantly.”

At about six month’s old the puppies are sent from the prison to live with Patriot PAWS “puppy-raisers,” where they learn more basic skills. The dogs are also taken out in the public, including to grocery stores and doctor’s offices. Jana Kovar is a fulltime volunteer for Patriot PAWS and has been a puppy raiser for two dogs.

“The only downside to being a puppy raiser is having to give them up,” said Kovar. “But when you see them go to do the job they’re supposed to do, it’s bittersweet.”

The dogs then go back to the prisons where they are “customized” for particular needs, like those of David Scott. In the final training stage, the dogs learn tasks like picking up laundry, opening the refrigerator, turning on lights and grabbing the phone. Captain will be helping Scott with every day chores like these when he goes home to his ranch.

Even though Scott didn’t think he needed help from a service dog, he’ll be the first to admit that his new best friend Captain has forever changed his life.

While enlisted in the Navy, Scott spent eight months out of the year at seas in the Navy’s submarine service until he suffered a serious concussion. When his submarine surfaced, Scott underwent his first brain surgery, which left him paralyzed.

“I lost all of my education,” said Scott, who had to re-learn how to read, write, walk and talk.

Scott eventually became fully functional and began working in a warehouse after he retired from the Navy. It was during this job that Scott suffered from a stroke, underwent a second brain surgery, and once again found himself paralyzed on the right side of his body.

Despite a long road to recovery, Scott was determined to bounce back from the injury.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to give up anything that I used to do,” said Scott.

With that mindset, Scott enrolled in classes at a junior college and started the learning process all over again. He has four grown children living in Texas and they learned about Patriot PAWS and urged their dad to apply for the program.

At the training center in Rockwall, Scott sat and chatted one day recently as Captain sat quietly at his feet. The pair had been working on bonding for the past several days and despite what Scott said was Captain’s “macho man” attitude, everything was “so far, so good.”

“He’s bonding with me,” said Scott, as Captain looked up at him. “We’re doing really well so far.”

Throughout their bonding sessions in Rockwall, the duo practiced using commands and walking alongside each using equipment such as scooters and canes.

Now that Scott has Captain by his side he is looking forward to returning to his ranch in Colorado and introducing his new dog to his old submarine buddies at their upcoming reunion in Washington D.C.

Scott and Captain work throughout the day on basic commands as they finish training.

David Scott and his service dog Captain bonded together in Rockwall at Patriot Paws