Zach and Bandit: A Bond of Strength and Service

Zach Guenzler had a few reasons for enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps, but first and foremost, he says, is that “growing up, I always had a huge respect for people who served our country.” They had a pride and selflessness that inspired the young man. He wanted to make his own contribution in service to the nation. 

He was 26 years old when he decided to enlist, and “my only regret was not doing it sooner,” he says. Zach spent four years in the Marines, from 2016 to 2020, working in air traffic control at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, in Havelock, North Carolina, home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. 

He suffered an injury that resulted in him having his leg amputated and for the next two and a half years, he was either in the hospital or other medical facility. A lot of that time was spent at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He befriended a VetDogs graduate who encouraged him to apply for his own service dog. “After spending time around them and seeing firsthand how beneficial [a service dog] could be, I agreed. It has been life changing!”

In May 2024, Zach was invited to a service dog class on VetDogs’ campus in Smithtown, New York. “When I got to the facility on Monday, I was the last person to arrive and had to play catch up with the training. I wanted to make sure I did my friend proud.” 

Zach didn’t realize it at the time, but the “practice” dog he was working with was actually Bandit, the dog who would be teamed with him. When “Dog Day” arrived – the day our students meet their new service dogs – “I was so focused on doing everything right and getting the basics down the day I arrived that I didn’t make the connection that ‘Boom Boom’ (the name they used for Bandit) was the dog I worked when I got there. It wasn’t until Maria [my service dog instructor] asked if I recognized him that it clicked. It was a surreal experience. The only other experience I can compare it to was the day I took my first steps with my prosthetic leg after over 19 months in a wheelchair.” 

Zach says one of his most memorable experiences during class was the day they were training at the beach. “A couple passed by and made a comment about Bandit, so I went up to them so they could meet him.” The man was an amputee, and “we talked about service dogs and the process we’d both been through.” 

Since they’ve become a team, Zach says that Bandit helps him every day and keeps him moving forward. “In the past four years, I’ve probably only spent a few weeks [not wearing my prosthetic leg] for various reasons.” Once he returned home with Bandit, however, Zach experienced health issues that meant he was not able to wear his prosthesis for several weeks. “Bandit has been a rock star!” he says. 

“For the first time since I lost my leg, I went out in town on crutches and no leg. I would not have had the courage to do that without him. I’m so blessed to have the support of Bandit and America’s VetDogs.”