The Trip That Changed Everything: Jennifer and Onyx Fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico (June 3, 2013)

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Michael Matthews gave himself away when he got drunk one night while Jennifer was in town prior to the documentary premiere. While Jennifer was in her room, she could hear Matthews on the phone with what sounded like Queen Bee devising a plan to take her down. Jennifer knew when she went back to New Mexico that she would not be affiliating with anyone except at the public events. Jennifer foiled their plan when she declined to pick up a stranger at the airport.

I didn’t realize how small my world had become until Onyx helped make it big again.

Our first trip together took us to Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2013, for the introduction of the Military Justice Improvement Act—legislation we had fought incredibly hard for. Our second trip brought us back to Maine so Onyx could settle into her new home.

In these pictures, we were on our way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to support a documentary about male survivors. By then, Onyx and I were already becoming a team.

She gave me something trauma had slowly taken away: freedom. Freedom to travel. Freedom to keep fighting for other survivors. Freedom to walk into difficult places knowing I wasn’t walking in alone.

Onyx was still settling into her new life with me, but she was also helping me find my way back to mine. She wasn’t just my service dog. She was safety, courage, independence, and unconditional love wrapped in soft black fur.

For the first time in a very long time, the world felt open again—and my freedom had four paws.

🐾🖤

Up Next: I naively walked into a snake’s pit where I was set up to get falsely accused of a crime by a guy using his story and a wheelchair for pity and supply. But the plan got foiled when Jennifer said to Michael Matthews, the documentary producer, “No, I cannot pick him [Jeremiah Arbogast] up at the airport, I’m busy volunteering my time right now.” Also, I’m not your bitch.

Plan B: Invisible War Actors & Ass Kissers Devise Plan to Accuse Advocates of “Bullying”; Protect Our Defenders Takes Credit for All Crime Bill They Didn’t Want, Then Stole and Perverted (2013)

I can tell how young Onyx is in this picture. I got her in May 2013. I spent three weeks training with her at K9s for Warriors while I was simultaneously doing media interviews and introduced a bill we fought really hard for. The founder of K9s for Warriors, Shari Duval, helped me prepare for the trip. She made the experience for me with her motherly love. Onyx’s first trip was to Washington D.C. and her second trip was to settle into home in western Maine. She’s currently 14 years old and living on the West Coast with me now. But to this day, she can wrap herself up in a little ball and make herself fit wherever.

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Original Photos:

This is a picture of Jennifer and Onyx on the plane to Albuquerque, New Mexico, I remember being sick as hell and tired but I wanted to support this one last project because the male survivor community is important to me given I have four brothers. But that passion was exploited and used to lure me out to New Mexico to put an end to my human rights advocacy. I didn’t know it at the time but putting everything in chronological order helped me see exactly what happened here. Looking back on this picture hurts me because I was brain injured, vulnerable, and obviously easily taken advantage of. Now, I’m glad it happened because I will use to it to train others about dark personalities. (June 3, 2013)