Jackson Free Press

About 10 years ago, an assault and robbery left Mississippi Gulf Coast native Davis Hawn physically and mentally scarred.

Along with assaulting Hawn, the assailant broke into his condo, littering it with crack pipes, and stole his truck. The horrific event left Hawn with a crippled leg and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

After recovering Hawn's truck and towing it to a storage yard, the wrecker driver discovered something in the truck—an 8-week-old puppy.

Though he rescued the dog, Hawn didn't really want to care for a puppy; he could barely take care of himself. But he took him anyway, bought an RV and got away. He began staying in parks because he "felt safe being surrounded by lots of people," he said in a personal testimony on petsincondos.org. Though Hawn didn't want to leave the comfort of his RV, he knew he had to walk the puppy, which Hawn named Booster after the dog stole a stuffed animal from a pet store. Hawn didn't particularly want to talk to anyone, but Booster was a catalyst for conversation.

The tide turned when Booster suffered from a bruised paw after running it into a trailer hitch. Hawn comforted the dog and discovered that he had found someone to share his pain with.

"With Booster by my side, I greet each day knowing we can change the world for the better," Hawn said in a press release.

Booster inspired Hawn to attend a service-dog train-your-trainer program at Bergin University of Canine Studies in California. After the program, he got his bachelor's degree in canine life studies, and then enrolled in the master's program, where he wrote a master's thesis called Project Fidelity, in which Hawn showed how dogs could be used to help with social and even international relations.

Hawn and Booster's journey led them to Cuba, where they visited schools for the blind and disabled and taught Cubans about service dogs, and then Thailand, where Booster played a therapeutic role for children living with HIV. The duo also helped international relations in China.

Hawn believes dogs' demeanor provides a perfect way to promote peaceful living.

"They don't hold grudges. They're just happy, because they are happy in the here and now," Hawn told The Gainesville Sun last year.

Last year, Booster had an operation in Florida for squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that had traveled to his skull. Veterinarians in Orlando used radiation therapy to shrink the tumor in his head and then operated March 2013. A couple of weeks after surgery, Booster received a vaccine to keep the cancer from coming back.

Though Booster is one of the most famous service dogs in the world, he is still prone to the diseases many dogs get as they grow older, including hip dysplasia.

"Booster isn't just a dog. He is a way of life. When Booster couldn't get off the floor, I couldn't get out of bed," Hawn said in a press release.

MediVet, a veterinary science pioneer, heard of Booster's disease and offered to help. The company arranged to perform a stem cell procedure in which the dog's stem cells would be injected into his hip to combat dysplasia and osteoarthritis.

Veterinarians at Randall Veterinary Hospital in Byram (5919 Terry Road) will begin the procedure at 2 p.m. May 7. Before the procedure, Booster and Hawn will demonstrate the abilities of service dogs, including opening a car door to retrieve a diabetes kit. The general public and the disabled are encouraged to attend the event. For more information, call 601-371-0895.