Guiding Light: Southeastern Guide Dogs

By Christy Pessemier | July 2023

Dave Caras has always loved danger and high-risk situations. He found what he was looking for in the Caribbean, and in South and Central American jungles, working in search-and-rescue and in anti-narcotic operations for the Coast Guard. 

Caras was tasked with combing the landscape from the air in a Jayhawk helicopter or C-130 airplane, watching for disguised landing pads and runways, airplanes, and camouflaged open-hull canoes used for drug smuggling. On land, he searched for smugglers and drug drops. 

He was the “shotgun guy,” carrying a Remington12-gauge riot shotgun, and a Beretta 9 mm pistol. He always had a DEA agent onboard with him, along with foreign strike force agents and other Coasties. Typically, Caras and his anti-narcotics unit were deployed on these missions for two to four weeks and they would go back and do it all over again every six to eight weeks.

“I miss it. It was very exciting, cool stuff,” he said. “If you feared for your life at any time, it wasn’t the job for you. We were so well trained that there was no fear. It was just ‘this is what we do, it’s our job,’” Caras remembers. 

After retiring from the Coast Guard, Caras needed something to match the level of intensity he had during his military career. He found that in athletics, and began training for triathlon competitions, often placing in the top for his age group. 

Amid his training and competitions, Caras realized he wanted to do something to connect with and help other Veterans. Having lost a dog recently, he wanted to find a way to combine dogs and Veteran outreach. Caras searched on Google, and that’s when he ran across the website for Southeastern Guide Dogs. He immediately recognized a friend, Mike Jernigan, a blind Veteran, posing with his guide dog on their website.

It wasn’t long before Caras began volunteering for Southeastern Guide Dogs, becoming a “puppy raiser,” and training dogs into adulthood until they could be matched with their perfect Veteran owner. Though he raised four puppies and prepared them for their new homes, he was forced to give up this labor of love after getting a new job. 

His new job involved working as a contractor consulting with U.S. and foreign military, in avionics and C-130 instruction. This meant Caras was traveling a lot more.

To keep himself busy and challenged, he weaved his triathlon training around his work schedule.

While in Utah, one afternoon Caras did some training for an Ironman Triathlon after doing some consulting work at Hill Air Force Base. He returned to his hotel to shower post-run and was looking forward to meeting a friend for dinner. 

He was about 400-feet from his hotel and that’s the last thing he remembers before the accident. 

A truck going 60 to 65 miles per hour in a 30-mph speed zone hit him from behind, slamming his body into the windshield. When the driver attempted to get back on the road, Caras rolled off the hood and underneath the vehicle. The driver then dragged him under the vehicle nearly 200 feet.

“The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. I didn’t remember anything from the accident on,” Caras said. He recalls opening his eyes in the hospital and not knowing what happened or why he was there.

“My dad and brother were there, and my dad told me I was in the hospital and had been run over by a truck. He said I had severe injuries, and they had to amputate my left leg.’”

Caras’ response was not what everyone expected. He reached down to feel both of his legs, grasping the reality of the situation. 

“Oh good, they amputated the bad one,” he said. 

Caras had issues with his Achilles tendon in that leg, and clearly still had his sense of humor, despite a major, life-altering accident. 

Initially, doctors had amputated only up to his knee, but because he was losing so much blood, they had to remove the knee as well.  

Despite his humorous outlook, Caras knew he had a lot to contend with. According to Caras, above-the-knee amputations are much more challenging in comparison to below-the-knee amputations, because there’s much less mobility. 

In addition to his amputation, Caras also had some other major adjustments to get accustomed to—four titanium ribs, two spinal column rods, the fusion of five lower spinal vertebrae, recovery from both his lungs collapsing, and a bolt in his head to relieve pressure. He’d also been diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI. 

Caras says he’s thankful that at the time of the accident, there was a life flight helicopter training going on nearby, and he was flown to the University of Utah Hospital, a top medical center for trauma.

“If you’re ever going to get run over, do it in Salt Lake,” Caras said.

Despite the tough outlook ahead of him and warnings from his physical therapist that recovery from above-the-knee amputations take a year and a half, Caras knew he couldn’t wait that long to get back into action. 

“I told myself—now I have a new challenge. I want to be faster than other people who have both legs,” he said, and he threw himself into training after getting his prosthetic leg.

When he was raising puppies for Veterans in need with Southeastern Guide Dogs, he never imagined he would be in a situation to become a recipient of a Veteran’s Service Dog himself.

On November 19, 2015, Caras was matched with Bobb, who was 2 years old at the time. He describes the black lab as dependable and fearless, but not much of a snuggler. He says Bobb is protective and loyal, yet also has a stubborn streak, like his own.

On top of competing in triathlons and Nordic biathlons, and winning against athletes without prosthetics, Caras also competes in sailing competitions. He trains Veterans to sail and participates in the Green Beret Scuba Dive school for testing prosthetics in the military. 

Caras qualified for the USA Precision Rifle Team and will be in the nationals next month and is on the USA Paralympic team. He climbs mountains, bikes, and keeps up his travel schedule. Bobb goes with him, helping Caras with balance in any situation that might make his prosthetic leg wobbly or unsteady—like stairs, trekking glaciers, or hiking. 

“When I’m stepping over rough terrain, he’s like a walking cane,” Caras said. “I can lose my balance, and he sees it and recognizes it without me even giving him a command. It saves a lot of time.” 

But Bobb also helps with invisible things others may not notice. Some symptoms of a TBI are impulse control challenges, irritability, and anxiety, which Caras sometimes struggles with.

“When I was living in Dallas, I was denied access to a restaurant,” he said. “I asked for the manager, and this big, tall guy kept getting closer and closer until he was right in my face. I was ready to fight the guy when Bobb pressed into me—hard—with all 80 pounds of his body weight, and it woke me up. It got my attention, and I got out of the situation.” 

In his experience as a former Southeastern Guide dog trainer himself, Caras knows that these guide dogs can tell by their owner’s scent when serotonin levels change, and adrenaline increases. He says they pick up on that change, and that’s when they do something about it. 

“They are trained to be still and quiet with their eyes fixed on you. If my adrenaline increases, he nudges me,” Caras says.

Though Caras says he’s not an alpha dog, Bobb will make his presence known when he needs to. Not long after Caras got him, Bobb caused two aggressive dogs near them to cower behind their owner after he let out a single bark that was so loud even Caras was surprised it came from his own dog. He’s also barked at coyotes, scaring them away. 

“He keeps me from sitting on the couch, watching TV, and getting distracted,” Caras said. “Since the day he was born, he’s been on a regular schedule, and if I’m not ready to go at 6 a.m., I can hear him moving around downstairs and he’s standing there, just staring at me.” 

But more than anything, Bobb keeps Caras steady and charging forward. He’s a training partner at the gym, and on runs, a family member, and best of all, a friend.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on Southeastern Guide Dogs and its programs, please visit guidedogs.org or call 941.729.5665