After getting kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan and then getting seriously hurt in a mountain climbing accident in Canada, professional climber Jason “Singer” Smith couldn’t cope with his emotional and physical trauma and fell off the map for several years. KSL reports he then returned to Utah with a K9 friend that has given him a renewed lease on life:
“I experienced a stress meltdown. The facade of society that keeps us all safe is actually wafer-thin, and once that’s been shattered for you, it’s very, very difficult to go back to normal society, in what we call a normal society.”
After living overseas for several years he returned home with a buddy he met while working on a ranch in Australia. Smith and his sheepherding, motorcycle-riding dog named Mattie are simply inseparable.
“I would have never believed that a dog would have such an impact on my mental condition. When Mattie and I forged a connection, it made me feel like I could be trusted to take care of something again. Yeah, makes me feel like I’m taking care of somebody, somebody really relies on me all the time.”