WILMINGTON, N.C. — Michael Branch has 23 years of military experience, serving in both Iraq and the Gulf War.

He now suffers from PTSD, which has been eased by his 2-year-old service dog named Ethan.

“Ethan is one of the best things that has happened since I came off active duty, because I had to just deal with it on my own. I mean yeah you’ve got family support, but there’s times when my wife’s not home. Now that I have Ethan, he’s played a big part in helping me stay a lot more calm and has helped me adjust,” Branch says.

In addition to his PTSD, Branch also has Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. The disease causes muscle weakness in his legs that could get worse over time, and he says there’s a chance he could lose his ability to walk entirely.

“I've been fortunate that I've been able to walk, now,” Branch says. “I have good days and I have bad days. When I'm having a bad day that's hard for me to walk, Ethan does for me what I would normally do.”

That includes opening the fridge, grabbing a water, and yes, he even does some of the laundry.

Ethan was trained by Canines For Service in Wilmington, a nonprofit organization that specializes in training services dogs.

Right now there are roughly 500,000 service dogs in the United States, many helping veterans just like Branch.

To learn more about Canines For Service, you can visit their website.