In an article featured in the Signal’s April print edition, it was made even more clear how important our pets mean to us here at Stan State and the surrounding community.
For some, our pets are more than just that friendly welcome home, they may be the key to surviving our daily lives.
In 1996, David and Diane Ebel moved to Turlock and made connections with many staff and faculty from Stan State. David has often spoke in some classes on a variety of topics and remains a loyal supporter of this university.  
About 10 years ago, David was given the choice by his doctor to either get a service dog or be forced into retirement.
David is known as a local fire chaplain, disaster responder, a critical incident stress management (CISM) care provider and approved instructor, a Salvation Army officer and as a minister.
“I didn’t start out this way,” said David in his biography. “I had birth defects in my lower back and legs and feet pain was a regular occurrence. As a baby (one day old) they did a medical experiment on me since I was expected to die. Well, I didn’t die and the side effects were profound … and it is now illegal to do that experiment on humans. I was expected to be a dwarf, be in a wheelchair by 19 and dead soon after … being sterile was guaranteed … so living long enough to be a grandpa is beyond anyone’s imagination.”
While David lived beyond all expectations, he did have to face and overcome many battles.
Despite dealing with the pain and restrictions of his birth defects, not to mention being raised by a mother that was constantly bipolar and had a severe alcohol addiction, David pushed on. He went above and beyond in his academics; however, it ended up being a distraction for himself.
“I was afraid to admit to anyone that I was depressed and feeling completely overwhelmed and just kept ‘sucking it up’ and pushing forward till I had a nervous breakdown (at 18) and fell into deep depression,” David said.
This led him on a rough road of alcoholism and more injuries to himself. It was not until an encounter with a young lady that David’s life turned around, and he found new hope in God.
All his success from that moment on led up to the person he is today, however, he would not have been able to continue his work without the help of a four-legged companion named “Bucky.”
When David’s doctor recommended that he get a service dog or retire, David had no idea what he was going to do. Service dogs do not come cheap and Divid did not have the spare money to spend on a well-trained service dog.
That’s when he relied on his faith and prayed for God to intervene. Not soon after, David met a woman named Sandy Storrie that blessed him by helping find and deliver Bucky.
Storrie later helped David and his wife Diane get another service dog named “Butter” for Diane.
Both dogs have exceeded all expectations by providing them with the assistance and protection that they require.
“Bucky came to realize when I would begin to fall,” said David. “He [Bucky] came to the point where he would give me a bump before I was able to fall. He was meant to pick things up for me, but he became a prevention tool. He makes it his business to protect me.”
David added that Bucky has even jumped in the way of objects that would cause him much harm due to his birth defects.
Butter offers Diane the support that she needs when she becomes unbalanced and uncomfortable in some situations. David said that Butter has kept her from falling while stepping on and off curbs by being something that she can physically lean on to achieve balance.
Not only do these two dogs affect the Ebel’s lives, but they also affect the lives of others. Bucky constantly assists David in his ministry and his visits to trauma patients in hospitals.
“He goes and cuddles and while they are cuddling him, their blood pressure and trauma go down,” David said. “He was very timid initially, but when he realized that there was a need for him, he was the bravest he’s been.”
David shared stories of Bucky recognizing needs in people that David did not even know. At 10 months old, Bucky once recognized a woman from across a large auditorium who needed some encouragement. Bucky forced David over to her just so that they could talk and be a source of kindness for her.
This is just one example of many that David had where Bucky went beyond all expectations that he had of him. David and Diane never expected these dogs to have such a profound effect on others around them.
“I was surprised beyond expectation. I knew I needed a dog to pick things up and help me when I fall, but I expected nothing beyond that,” said David. “They’re partners in all of their decisions and a complete lifestyle. They go everywhere we go, if they’re not welcome, then we are not welcome. He has no interest in not being close. Butter is the same way with my wife.”
It is because of these two dogs that David and Diane can continue to have a profound effect on their community.