Puppy Bowl Winner Meets Retired Veteran And Sparks A Reinvigorating New Purpose

Sergeant Major Kevin Bittenbender gave everything for his country as a member of the United States Army. He’s a decorated soldier, having served for 34 years across several branches, including Military Intelligence, Infantry, Air Defense Artillery, and Field Artillery. The Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Good Conduct Medal are among his many awards. Yet although he retired in 2018 Bittenbender still carries the scars of war with him, as he told People magazine in 2023. 

“I had my left leg amputated on February 17, 2022, due to burn-pit exposure in Afghanistan,” Bittenbender revealed. “And I suffered from PTSD, a TBI, and peripheral neuropathy in my legs and hands.” In case you’re unfamiliar with those terms, burn pits were commonly used in Afghanistan and Iraq to dispose of military waste, which unfortunately creates a toxic smoke. You’re probably more familiar with PTSD, which stands for post-traumatic stress disorder, while TBI is an acronym for a traumatic brain injury. 

Bittenbender continued, “That neuropathy is due in part to my exposure to burn pit-exposure. I lost three of my guys on August 27, 2007, due to an ambush… subsequently, I lost a fourth member of my team from injuries that he suffered that day as well.” Losing so much and then experiencing the loss of a limb as well took its toll, as he told America’s VetDogs that same year. He said, “From my first amputation, I fell into a very dark, dark spot.” In his despair, Bittenbender even considered taking his own life.

The former soldier told People, “Between my mobility and my PTSD, I was doing my rehabilitation at Walter Reed Medical Center, and America's VetDogs just so happened to walk into my life at the time when I could really benefit.” The organization was specifically created to assist veterans and first responders struck with disabilities by helping them reclaim their independence with service dogs. It’s arguably best-known for matching George H.W. Bush with his service dog Sully, who became famous in 2018.

Bush had been hospitalized several times that year, and America’s VetDogs provided Sully in his hour of need. The match was a success, and for the rest of 2018 Sully stood loyally by his human. In fact, he even sat guard next to Bush’s coffin when the former president passed away in November. Although being the service dog to Bush had already made Sully famous, he became even more so when the picture on his Instagram account went viral.

This, of course, helped raise awareness of America’s VetDogs and provided further proof of its uncanny accuracy at matching up pets with the right human partner. It chose Kirby as Bittenbender’s pal, and it seemed like it was Kirby's purpose in life! He’s a healer by nature, as are all the pups picked out for service-dog training. Actually, he’s been learning the ropes from a very early age thanks to the four-step plan America’s VetDogs has for raising pooch partners to be the best service animals they can be. 

The four steps are: breed, raise, train, and place. Pups are born into the America’s VetDogs’ puppy nursery and live with their mom for eight weeks. Then they’re matched with a puppy-raiser home who will look after and teach them how to live with humans. It’s here they’re taught house manners and basic commands. Some of the pooches are even brought up in a prison puppy-raiser program instead and visit their families on weekends to complete their initial training. 

The second half of the pups’ journey is spent with special America’s VetDogs service trainers. They go through three months of intensive training specifically geared towards learning the commands they’ll need to assist their future disabled partners. These skills involve how to pick up dropped objects, press buttons and how to comfort their handler emotionally. The final step is finding the puppy a home with a serviceman or first responder that could benefit from the unconditional love and support of a service animal. 

In Kirby’s case, his upbringing was a little different, though! You see, he was part of the Puppy with a Purpose program, which the Guide Dog Foundation organizes to raise awareness for America’s VetDogs. The program started in 2016 and Kirby was one of the dogs selected for the Houston Texans’ Puppy with a Purpose. This means that as part of his socialization training, Kirby took part in a lot of community events, such as home games and meet-and-greets, where he met Texans players and fans alike. 

And just like the rest of his training, Kirby’s placement with his new handler was a little unorthodox. In YouTube footage, he’s shown meeting Bittenbender at a crowded NRG Stadium; the partnership is made official on the field! Two charming cheerleaders escort Bittenbender into the center, and Kirby is there waiting for him, like the good boy he is. And what do you think Kirby does first? He runs right up to Bittenbender to greet him with lots of kisses. 

Kirby proves what a loving pooch he is right there by leaning his whole body against Bittenbender and showering him with love. You can tell just how affectionate he is by his reaction to the cheerleaders, too: he doesn’t neglect to stop and greet both of them with some excitable kisses, too! After doing a couple of loops around Bittenbender with his tail wagging furiously, Kirby settles by the side of his new handler. 

Loving support — from people and animals — are an important part of a veteran’s life. And it isn’t just those who have suffered trauma or injuries from war, either. A serviceman has usually spent many years under disciplined routine, and coming back to civilian life can be a system shock. Not only do they lose a sense of organization, but some may have lost family members while serving and others feel disconnected thanks to the abrupt change in lifestyle. After all, their friends and family haven’t shared the soldier’s experiences. 

Service animals can help to heal a lot of these wounds. To begin with, caring for an animal gives veterans who feel lost a sense of purpose; it provides a new structure to their lives they may have struggled to find previously. This also has a dual purpose: it draws the vet’s attention. While they are focused on seeing to their service animal’s needs, they’re distracted from becoming lost in their own problems. It can restore the serviceman’s purpose and lost confidence and bring happiness. 

One of the most important things a service animal can do is listen. They’re a friendly ear and they offer unconditional love without judgment. A vet might feel like they can’t share their experiences of war with their civilian friends, but a companion animal? That’s another matter entirely. They will sit there and hear everything a soldier or first responder has to say, and give them kisses afterwards. It’s a powerful healer; it can even help them reconnect with friends or loved ones.

That’s not to say all veterans suffer trauma, of course. But according to a 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, 27 percent of veterans have a tough time returning to civilian life, with that number rising to 44 percent among those who have served post-9/11. Bittenbender is living proof of how service animals can turn a vet’s life around, and not just physically, either. Kirby helps him on so many levels, it’s almost like he was specifically trained for the ex-soldier. 

Bittenbender told People, “Kirby is trained on PTSD and mobility. So he helps me on stairs, he helps me when I'm in my wheelchair, picking up items off the ground. I have nightmare disturbances, so he senses my nightmares, wakes me up, and allows me to go back to sleep more peacefully. He's just amazing. My sidekick, he’s my battle buddy now as I had in the military.” Maybe that’s because Kirby has service training in his blood. 

Remember Sully, George H. W. Bush’s service dog? Well, he’s working at the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, these days, and Kirby is his cousin. Bittenbender noticed the family resemblance, though! “He’s like the younger version of Sully,” he exclaimed. “Yeah, he’s identical. So it’s pretty cool.” Kirby has changed Bittenbender’s whole outlook on life, too. "I'm more social,” he said. “Having him by my side enables me to be calmer and at peace in a crowded area. He's allowed me to extend myself.”

It’s no wonder, then, that Kirby was honored at the Puppy Bowl! If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s an annual celebration on Animal Planet that replicates the Super Bowl but with 100 percent more dogs. Kirby was “scouted and coached” by Team Fluff, and as a result met the aptly-named rapper, Snoop Dogg. But that’s not all. Judges also voted Kirby as the game’s MVP — or Most Valuable Pup — for his performance. It was the ‘double touchdown’ that swung the vote. 

Bittenbender had help from a charitable organization whose aim is to help vets regain control and happiness in their lives. “I was gifted a hand cycle from Hope For the Warriors,” the former soldier informs the America’s VetDogs YouTube channel, “and that perpetuated me into handcycling the Pittsburgh marathon.” That was before he lost his leg, but you can’t keep a good man down, and Bittenbender was determined to do another marathon: he told his physiotherapist as much during one of their appointments.

The veteran recalled, “I said to her, ‘Well next year, I want to run it.’ and she said, ‘Well, that’s a lofty goal.’ And I said, ‘Why don’t you run it with me?’ and so she’s going to run it with me this year as part of my support system.” You can probably guess who he’s running for, but we’ll tell you anyway: America’s VetDogs, who trained and matched him with Kirby! But it goes without saying, Kirby won’t be far from his partner’s side. 

Kirby joined Bittenbender for parts of the marathon, and the NFL team from Houston sponsored the service dog. Don’t worry though: while his partner ran all 26 miles, Kirby himself didn’t run all that far in his fur coat! He actually just did the first and last mile, but his support must have meant the world to Bittenbender just the same. The cause they are running for is close to the veteran’s heart, because it’s something he’s experienced personally. 

Bittenbender is running to help save the lives of fellow veterans like himself, for the sake of the comrades he lost. He showed America’s VetDogs the tattoos of dog tags he has on his arms, which each bear the name of a deceased friend: Staff Sergeant Kody Tyler, Major Hank Oficier, Sergeant Jan Organish and Master Sergeant Scott Ball. “I try to do events to live a life worth their sacrifice and to honor their names,” he told People. 

It’s not just the one event Bittenbender has planned, either. He has an admirable five runs to do this year alone, and it’s all thanks to America’s VetDogs, Kirby and the support he provides. “Kirby just reinvigorated that sense of purpose in me,” the veteran elaborated. “And he definitely gives me the equation that I like to live by, which involves the three Ps. One is purpose, the other's passion, and the other is part of something bigger than yourself.”

Bittenbender can’t recommend service dogs enough. “[Kirby] gives me a sense of calm that I've never really had the last 13 years, and I really enjoy his company, as he enjoys mine. I think that if anyone's on the fence about doing it, it is definitely worth pursuing. It's amazing the things a dog can bring you. You can have the most miserable day, but he thinks it’s your best day.” And there’s even better news for vets in that regard.

America’s VetDogs has reduced its waiting times so it can match up servicemen and women to their perfect puppers even sooner! Previously, the waiting list was a whopping four years, but it’s been reduced massively. Now, a vet can be introduced to their new best friend within 12 months, or sometimes even less time than that. There’s never been a better time to investigate being matched with a service dog if you think that you’re someone who could benefit from it. 

Although breeding and training a service dog costs upwards of $50,000 per head, the organization wants vets to know that they don’t have to pay to get matched with a puppy partner: the dog will cost them personally absolutely nothing. The official website explains, “Funding comes from the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, businesses, and community organizations.” The only investment applicants have to make is a small amount of their time to pick up some basic training. 

The America’s VetDogs site states, “Once they make the decision to get a service dog, applicants become part of VetDogs’ open and welcoming community. Students will come to our ten-acre campus in Smithtown, New York, for our two-week in-residence training program. Classes are kept small to ensure personalized attention for each student and their new dog. Over the course of the time spent with us, the student and dog bond and learn how to work together as a team.” 

“They are supported with an uncompromising commitment to excellence, from highly empathetic and certified trainers to a meticulously constructed curriculum,” the organization concluded. Another vet they matched — a man called Nathan — confirms just how positive an experience he had when America’s VetDogs matched him with his new partner, Kenzo. He said, “I love him dearly and he does so much for me on a daily basis, physically, mentally and emotionally. I could not be more grateful, he’s definitely my best friend and companion.” 

Nathan continued, “[I] didn’t know how much I needed a service dog like Kenzo. Without the donation and the charity, this wouldn’t be possible, and he wouldn’t have changed my life for the better.” There’s a good reason the animal is known as ‘man’s best friend’, and if you’re looking for an example, few canines embody the concept more than service dogs such as Kirby and Kenzo. Animals can change people’s lives for the better; the ones America’s VetDogs provide are even saving them on a daily basis.