Hello, my name is SFC Jim "Sarge" Florance, US Army (retired). I spent 26 years, 3 months, and 18 days in the Army.

I lost my beloved Lacy on April 28th, 2025, at 9:48 am to an enlarged heart.

Before I got her 12 years ago, I was lost and spiraling out of control. With the love of my wife of 22 years, we went to the VA (Veterans Administration) and asked for help. What the VA did was help me locate a training program that would assist in getting Lacy trained as a service dog. She became my second wife; she gave me the freedom to go out in public, attend my kids' programs, and just enjoy life in general, which gave me a sense of normalcy. Night terrors are a nightly occurrence for me, and Lacy would pull me out of them.

My wife and I have 2 kids, who are now grown, working full-time, and are independent. I do not want to burden them anymore with my issues that I received through the military. My wife has at least 5 to 6 years before she can think about retiring. After losing my Lacy, I now find myself all alone again.

So, this is where I am at. It's very hard for me to ask for help, but with the VA, my PTSD group brothers, and my wife's encouragement, along with friends and family, I am here asking for help. My friends can tell you this is very hard for me to do. But our family does not have the funds available needed to purchase and/or train a service dog.

With a service dog like Lacy, I again can strive to achieve a halfway normal life. However, the problem is service dogs are now very expensive, and the waiting lists for a donated one are anywhere from 1.5 years to 3 years. The VA no longer gives letters of recommendation for a service dog, so this pushes the veterans to obtain this on their own.

I'll continue to provide updates on this site with the progress I make on getting and finding a new service dog for me.

If you have any questions for me, just email me, and I will answer you the best I can.

If you can't help monetarily, I fully understand times are tough out there. But please say a small prayer for all of us out there dealing with PTSD. It's not just us military; there are others out there dealing with this problem as well. PTSD is an "invisible wound."

Thank you so much for your help.

Jim "sarge"