Veteran Starts Charity for Service Dogs in Memory of His Companion, Kaya

A Marine Corps veteran is honoring his late service dog’s memory by helping others. He created Kaya’s K9s in her honor to cover the costs of veterinary care for canines that serve 🎖️Veterans. 

According to People Magazine, Cpl. Cole Lyle attributes his life to his service dog, Kaya. “If she wasn’t there, I don’t know that I would be here,” he noted. 

Kaya helped him battle Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and inspired him to lobby Capitol Hill to get service dogs to other 🎖️Veterans in need.

Lyle was diagnosed with PTSD in 2011. When therapy and medication didn’t help, he became suicidal. But then he said that one turn of events changed his life, “when another Marine knocked on the door and saved my life.”

He was asked to help train a German shepherd puppy. Kaya quickly bonded with him, helping him through anxiety attacks and waking him up when he experienced nightmares.

“Kaya wasn’t just a dog, she was a service dog that was, specifically, trained to help me,” he stated.

Lyle also noted, “She became an ambassador for all service dogs in the US. She really was one-of-a-kind.”

Kaya traveled with Lyle on over 300 flights. She not only offered him the healing care he needed, but also reminded him of the other soldiers who could benefit from this kind of animal connection.

In 2019, Kaya got cancer. Lyle’s friend, actor Gary Sinise, offered to pay for the cost of treatment.