This Veteran and His Dog Help Keep the Outdoors Safe for Everyone

Chad Brown enlisted in the Navy at age 20. He was deployed for four years in the Middle East, Guantanamo Bay, and Somalia, earning several medals and ribbons for his service. He returned to civilian life—first in New York City to pursue his education in art and design, and then in Portland, Oregon, to start his career after graduation. But, during this transition, he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury.

“I was facing a lot of demons,” Brown said. Homeless and suffering from nightmares, he needed help.

His friend Walter, a fellow veteran who served in the US Army Special Forces, connected him to a nonprofit called Northwest Battle Buddies. In the military, Brown said, a battle buddy is an assigned partner who “has your back,” providing accountability, support, and companionship in and out of combat. Northwest Battle Buddies provides veterans with service dogs who are trained to help them navigate everyday life.

When Brown met his service dog, a chocolate Lab named Axe, he was at a low point. But thanks in large part to their bond, which Brown discussed on an episode of the miniseries “Life Is Better With Dogs” from The Oprah Podcast sponsored by The Farmer’s Dog, Brown now heads an organization that helps connect veterans and inner-city youth to nature. Take a look at how they work together:

“He chose me.”

Around 10 years ago, after a year-long wait, Brown went to the Northwest Battle Buddies office in Battle Ground, Washington, to meet his potential service dog.

“Two dogs came out: One was a black Lab, and one was a chocolate Lab,” Brown said. “The black Lab went the other direction, but the chocolate Lab came straight to me.” He still remembers “bawling” as the “puny” brown Lab licked him. “It felt like he chose me.”

Soon, they were inseparable.

“Axe never leaves my side,” Brown said. “We come as a team.” 

From riding public transit and eating in restaurants to taking meetings and even sleeping, Axe and Brown are one unit. Brown can rely on Axe to help him through any challenge as his stress and emotional levels fluctuate. For instance, if they’re in a crowded place and Brown’s PTSD symptoms get triggered, with a simple cue Axe will lead him to a calmer area and help Brown regain a sense of safety, “just like a battle buddy would do in the military.”

In an episode of The Oprah Podcast, Brown described how Axe can even wake him up if he’s having a nightmare, putting his head on his chest.

Love Is King.

Axe was by Brown’s side when they were violently threatened, motivating Brown to build a path for some of his life’s most rewarding work.

In 2020, Axe and Brown were fly fishing together on the Clackamas River in Oregon when another man stepped into the river about two football fields away and started shouting at them. “He yelled at me to get off his river,” Brown said. Brown stood his ground as Axe watched from the riverbank. When the man fired a warning shot with his gun, Brown and Axe held fast. “Then,” Brown said, the man “took his gun and pointed it at me.” That’s when Brown ran ashore and grabbed Axe to “get the hell out of there.”

“I started to realize that there are many people who have a fear of stepping into the outdoors by themselves,” he said.

As a result, he started Love Is King. Founded in 2021 shortly after the incident on the Clackamas, and based in Portland, Oregon, the nonprofit organization’s mission is to connect veterans and inner-city youth with nature. Brown knows how powerful nature can be as a tool for healing—and how difficult it can be for some to feel safe to experience the outdoors. Inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Brown aims to teach people that everyone, regardless of their identity, has a right to enjoy nature, “dismantling bigotry, hate, and ignorance in the outdoors.” 

Love Is King runs expeditions to the Arctic Circle, Oregon Timber Trail, and throughout the continental US—and all the while, “Axe is right there by my side,” Brown said. “He becomes my anchor as I’m teaching.”

When Axe is wearing his service dog vest, the participants on these expeditions respect that he’s working and don’t touch him. But once his vest is off, he gets plenty of pets and praise. “Everybody just loves Axe,” Brown said. “He becomes the mascot.”

Every day is a training day.

Brown and Axe’s unique relationship requires upkeep. When the two became battle buddies, CEO and founder of Northwest Battle Buddies Shannon Walker told Brown that “every day is a training day.”

This approach benefits both Axe and Brown. “I think people have a big misconception that, ‘Oh, Chad has fought PTSD and he’s okay’—and that’s not true,” Brown said. “I’m living with PTSD [by] maintaining my therapy, and also working with Axe on a daily basis. It keeps me in a structured mode.”

Whenever Axe is wearing his vest, he’s in “routine mode,” devoting all his attention to Brown. If another person pets him or diverts his attention while he’s in this mode, “that starts to pierce his drive,” Brown said. But Axe knows that, when the vest comes off, he can be more relaxed.

Brown and Axe wake up by 7 in the morning. They go to the kitchen together for breakfast and Axe’s first bathroom outing of the day. The two play together in the living room, which Brown described as “kind of like two brothers wrestling.” After preparing for the day’s work, they head to the office. At the end of the day, they watch TV together until bedtime.

This daily training pays off day in and out, keeping Axe attuned to Brown and enabling Brown to take care of himself, his service dog, and Love Is King. “The more you protect your dog, the more your dog protects you,” he said.

After more than 10 years together, Brown sees Axe as a fundamental part of his success in life. “When I look at what I have been able to accomplish,” he said, “having Axe has given me a foundation.”

For more, check out the “Life is Better With Dogs” miniseries on The Oprah Podcast.