PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Owning a dog isn't that unusual for Sean Brown. He says he always had one growing up, but none of his previous pets have been like Pella.

"So she had to retire a little bit early," Brown said. "About 3-4 years early. She just turned 7 in September."

And now Nick.

"Nick has really taken over the reigns the first 3-4 weeks," Brown said. "We really got to see that transition. It’s really kinda cool to see that they’re best friends. They play all day. How old is he? So he just turned 3 in September."

Although Pella is now retired, Nick is not here just to play. He's here to work. His job? To be the calming force when Brown's anxieties irrupt.

An Army veteran, Brown is dealing with a lot. Not only PTSD from his years of service, but also from a motorcycle accident back in 2011 that sent him into a downward spiral of despair.

"I was taking 16 pills a day. I was 285 pounds," Brown said. "Quickly disconnecting with life and my family. I had just left the doctor’s office. I was at the VA and literally had laid on me. I was high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes borderline everything. I had just had 5 polyps taken out of my colon and I wasn’t even 31 yet.”

Nick is Sean Brown's second service dog. (Spectrum News image)

It was clear this former DJ needed to change his tune.

That's when he discovered the Southern Guide Dogs and its Veterans Service Dog Program. Inside this impressive Manatee County facility runs a meticulous breeding, raising and training program to create dogs that are more than man's best friends, they are his lifesavers. 

“You’ll hear that statistic of 22 veterans a day that are losing their battle to suicide. That number is actually statistically a bit higher," said Southeastern Guide Dogs Director Emily Dombrowski. “That’s some old research that had come out. What we’re really proud of is the fact that out of all of the service dog teams that we have placed, we have not lost one veteran to that war on suicide.”

Brown says he knew the program and his service dog with a perfect match when he had a moment where an old spine injury suddenly left him immobile.

"So I ended up laying on the floor because the pain was so bad," he said. "He (Nick) got up off his bed and he just came and laid on top of me. And something in my body just chemically reacted and the pain started to subside. I started to fill a little bit better."

Brown has benefited so much from the Veteran Service Dog Program, that he now shares his story with others, both reliving his struggle.

"On my nightstand was a polished, ready-to-go Glock 19. I was ready to end it all."

And celebrating the solution his service dog gave him and keeps giving him every day. 

"I’m just one of so many veterans out there that are finding success through our dogs." he said. "Remember, I was taking 16 pills a day. I now take one injection a month for my migraines. I went from 285 lbs. to about 215 lbs., but I gained some of it back. It happens. But I connected with my family."

Now Brown hopes to connect with other veterans who could be just one service dog away from saving their lives.

"To be that part that connects the chain," he said. "There’s no better feeling than that. There’s no greater thank you than to help somebody else.”