“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.”