Sgt. Geoffrey Ames, Warrior Transition Battalion, spends time with Sgt. 1st Class Boe, a therapy dog assigned to Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center. Photo by Charmain Brackett A few months after arriving for treatment at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Sgt. Geoffrey Ames saw a familiar face.

“I had an appointment in the clinic with the occupational therapist. There were three dogs there. I thought one looked familiar. It was Sgt. Boe,” said Ames, who is part of the Warrior Transition Battalion, of the trained therapy dog also known as Sgt. 1st Class Boe. “I thought ‘I know that dog.’ It was really a treat to see her. It was like seeing an old friend.”

Ames was serving as the chaplains’ operations non-commissioned officer in charge at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, the same time Boe was there. Ames arrived at Eisenhower in July while Boe arrived at Fort Gordon in September.

Ames remembers seeing Boe on a regular basis at COB Speicher. The 5 year-old black Labrador retriever worked there with the Combat Stress Control unit. She served two tours in Iraq.

“She would make trips through out the section just to do a climate check,” he said. “It was always great to see her. She was the only animal in the whole place.”

Ames said that COB Speicher was a “fairly quiet” spot, but Boe’s regular rounds were a highlight of the Soldiers’ days.

“There were the regular stresses of being away from family and friends. It was always good to see her. She was always happy to see you,” he said.

Ames, who calls himself a dog person, said there is nothing like having a four-footed pal around.

“I absolutely love dogs. They are non-judgmental. They can’t talk about you. You can tell them about your day. They don’t understand what you say, but they are still happy to see you,” he said.

Boe was one of two therapy dogs in Iraq. Budge, who is also at DDEAMC, also spent time in Iraq. Maverick is a third therapy dog at the hospital, but he has not been deployed.