From Isolation to Connection
Thomas and his psychiatric service dog Billy.
Thomas Hutchings, a Vietnam Veteran and retired law enforcement officer, spent more than 40 years living with both the physical and invisible wounds of war.
Thomas served in the United States Air Force, completing two combat deployments in Vietnam. At just 20 years old, he flew missions that left deep emotional scars.
And like many Veterans, Thomas returned home physically intact but internally fractured.
“For years, I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I was a Vietnam Veteran,” Thomas shared. “I also avoided forming close, personal relationships.”
Thomas during his years in the Air Force.
It wasn’t until 2008—four decades after his deployment—that Thomas was finally diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Healing didn’t happen overnight, but a key turning point came when Thomas connected with the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN).
That’s how Billy Joel, a two-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever trained in psychiatric and mobility assistance, entered Thomas’s life.
ICAN is dedicated to providing psychiatric service dogs at no cost to honorably discharged Veterans like Thomas. These dogs are trained to perform life-changing tasks like alerting to and interrupting flashbacks, applying deep pressure therapy to ease anxiety, retrieving and carrying medication and other objects, and much more.
Billy bringing Thomas his cane.
“Billy provides me with comfort and camaraderie. He can read my moods. If I’m feeling down, Billy will get up, look at me, rest his chin on my knee, and nudge me,” Thomas explained.
“Sometimes he puts his paws and upper body on my lap—kind of like a hug. He’s very attentive to me, especially when I’m feeling low or depressed.”
Beyond psychiatric support, Billy also helps Thomas with daily physical challenges. Service-related arthritis has affected Thomas’s back, arms, knees, and shoulders, but Billy helps ease those burdens.
“He picks up things I might drop, like my keys, glasses, or my cane. He even pushes doors open for me,” Thomas said. “He kind of just watches out for me all the time.”
Thomas and Billy at Team Training.
Billy is more than a service dog—he’s a lifeline.
“I felt invisible before Billy,” Thomas shared. “He’s changed my life. He’s given me the opportunity to get out and do things. I get a lot more social interaction with him by my side.”
Billy didn’t just change Thomas’s routine—he transformed his entire outlook. What was once a life shaped by isolation has become one filled with purpose and confidence. With Billy by his side, Thomas is no longer invisible. He is seen, supported, and finally reconnecting with the world around him.
A bond beyond words—Thomas and Billy, hand in paw.
Your support makes stories like Thomas’s possible.
By donating, volunteering, or spreading ICAN’s mission, you can help bring hope, confidence, and independence to Hoosier veterans in need.
Learn more: icandog.org.