After serving 17 years in the Air Force and becoming the first retired Space Force veteran in the nation, Nikki Evenson faced a difficult transition back into civilian life. Struggling with post-traumatic stress, severe anxiety, and mobility challenges, she found it hard to trust others and re-engage with her community.
Evenson was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls for five years. After her husband experienced similar mental health struggles, she was connected with K9 Care Montana, a service dog provider for wounded veterans. Her husband received a service dog in 2013.
Erik Johnson reports - watch the video here:
Later, Evenson began to struggle herself, but everything changed in December 2021 with the arrival of Macy Mae, a sweet English Golden Puppy she describes as her "gift from above." Macy's presence immediately shifted something in Nikkie. “When I got Macy, she gave me a reason to want to get up in the morning and train with her, go for walks, and just embrace the world again,” she said.
Macy Mae continues to play a transformative role in Nikkie's recovery. From sleeping the days away and fearing human contact, she has gradually become more comfortable socializing and participating in community activities, such as volunteering at her church.
Nikki credits her progress to the support of K9 Care Montana, a nonprofit organization that provides service dogs to wounded veterans, first responders, and children with autism, all at no cost.
David Riggs, founder and CEO of K9 Care Montana, has always wanted to help veterans. Growing up with two grandfathers who served in World War II, Riggs’s own recovery story inspired him to use dogs as a way to help veterans heal.
Established in 2010, he explains, “The dog is a gift from our Creator. I learned early on, over 40 years ago, when I was paralyzed from the chest down and learning to walk again, that it was the dog that brought the light back into my eyes as a young person.”
Riggs emphasizes involving the veterans in the training process, which can take up to a year and a half for psychiatric service dogs and up to three years for mobility dogs. Riggs believes that engaging veterans in training helps them stay active and avoid overthinking, which can impede mental health recovery. The organization also offers outdoor programs like fishing trips on Montana’s rivers, aimed at building camaraderie and providing peace in nature.
Nikki and her family have since moved out of Montana, but David Riggs stays connected with each of the service dogs and their families no matter where they go.
Nikki's physical health started to go downhill in 2024, David Riggs took Macy Mae back to train her as a mobility service dogs as Nikkie needed assistance with stability and bracing.
“She’s been the biggest blessing in my life,” Nikki shared. “I can literally say she saved my life.” Macy Mae continues to be right there by her side as she navigates the "battle back home" and there to pick her up every time she falls.
The agency website states: "Our nation's wounded warriors have given their all to protect our freedoms and we at K9 Care Montana believe it is our turn to give them back their freedom. Every child challenged by autism has different obstacles in their daily lives. By providing them with service dogs it provides many different benefits that help them overcome those obstacles. A child that can connect with a dog can connect with the world."
For more information, click here to visit the website.
