Barney’s Run will raise money to provide service dogs to Albany area veterans

By Alan Mauldin

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    ALBANY, Georgia (Albany Herald) — The discovery of a canine on doggy death row in 2013 may have saved not just one life. For military vet Larry Barfield, the chocolate Labrador retriever mix has been a constant companion and source of reassurance for nearly a decade.

Camo can detect when his human is having a nightmare and nudge him, Barfield’s wife, Pam, said.

Barfield was the first local recipient of a service dog through the annual Barney’s Run for Warriors. The 10th Barney’s Run will be held on Oct. 22, with proceeds going to the national organization that provides the service dogs.

The K9s for Warriors organization rescues dogs and trains them to be companions for veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. Golden Triangle RC&D, based in Dawson, is the title sponsor.

“He (Camo) was rescued from a shelter in Florida; he was one day away from being euthanized,” Pam Barfield said. “If Larry is having a hard time, (Camo will) nudge him. He checks up on him.”

Larry Barfield, whose more than 17 years of service included six months in Iraq, provided a more stark assessment.

“If I didn’t have him, I’d still be in bed,” Barfield said. “I just … I don’t know what I’d do. He allowed me to move around, to go mix with people. That’s one thing I couldn’t do. I had PTSD, and crowds really bothered me.”

After receiving Camo, Barfield was able to return to work at Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, where he had worked before he was sent for a tour of duty upgrading military vehicles to protect Marines in them from improvised explosive devices.

“He’d walk with me, stay close to my leg and nudge it, kind of keep me in the here and now,” Barfield said of his four-legged companion. “If I got real nervous, he’d lay on my feet or come sit on me to let me know.”

The 2022 Barney’s Run for Warriors kicks off at 8 a.m. on Oct. 22 and will take participants through the Lake Park and nearby neighborhoods in Albany.

Golden Triangle donated the $12,000 title gift for this year’s run, and to date corporate sponsors have provided a total of $28,000.

This year’s run will consist of a new for 2022 half-marathon, 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun walk/run. Medals will be awarded to the 10K and 5K runners. There will be finishing medals for the 13.1- and one-mile runs. Medals will be given to the top three male and female finishers in 16 age groups for the 10K and 5K.

The Best American Spirit School Award will be awarded to the school with the most participants in the four races in various age groups.

The most recent pairing of a service dog brought the total donated to southwest Georgia through Barney’s Run to 13, Anna Hendley, who is co-chair of the event, said. Money raised previously is sufficient to train an additional three dogs.

When the first Barney’s Run for Warriors was held, the cost to provide training of the service dog and owner was $12,000, but that number has more than doubled.

“It’s so awesome,” Hendley said. “It’s amazing to see the bond between them, to see when they come back from training how much the dogs love their new owners and how they return love.”

Money raised locally is returned to the community through service dogs, of which 95% are rescue dogs.

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