“Chaplain with the Dog” Breaks Down Barriers in Texas and Afghanistan


Sergeant Zoe is a wonderful assistant for Army Chaplain Maj. Karen Hallett.
Photo via elpasotimes.com

Maj. Karen Hallett—a nondenominational Christian chaplain at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas—has a special helper in her work with troubled soldiers. Zoe is a Black Labrador who has been trained to help those suffering from PTSD. But sometimes, it’s just Zoe’s calm beauty that helps:

“Here is how it works,” Hallett said. “Someone comes by. Zoe is laying out in the hallway. She’s cute. They stop. They pet her. I have a chance to say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? What’s going on?’ Very often, they will come in and sit down and talk about whatever. It opens a door that wouldn’t be open to me normally.

The pair served in Afghanistan, as well, and their story is inspirational.

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