After Almost 25 Years of Combined Service, Team Tampa’s Beloved Therapy Dog Hercules and Veteran Robert Lynch Retire

Hercules, the black Labrador who has brought joy, comfort and support to Veterans, staff and visitors is retiring at the age of eight. Alongside his handler and proud dad, Hercules has spent six and a half years, providing matchless emotional and physical support, becoming a cherished figure in the hospital and Tampa community.

A Marine Corps Veteran and the JAHVH Veterans Experience Officer, Lynch first met Hercules in 2017 after applying for a therapy dog to assist with his own mobility and mental health challenges. Southeastern Guide Dogs, now known as Dogs, Inc. connected with Lynch and introduced him to a few therapy dogs. Lynch and Hercules quickly became inseparable. They formed a fast friendship, a bond that brings smiles to the faces of anyone that sees the pair together to this day.

“He has this way of knowing exactly what someone needs, whether it’s a wag of his tail or just resting his head in their lap,” Lynch said.

Hercules was not alone in making life-changing impact on the Veterans in his care. Lynch did an exemplary performance in his role as Veterans Experience Officer. He was a patient at JAHVH in 2007, undergoing physical and mental therapy. 

“The staff and community here truly saved my life, and put me on the path to righteousness,” recalls Lynch. “I was in really bad shape. But I recovered, met my wife and started a new chapter.”

He built a team using the Veterans Health Administration Compensated Work Therapy program when he found his calling as a VEO. The team had not been utilized in the Director’s office prior to Lynch’s innovative idea and worked effectively ensuring the highest quality customer experience in delivery of care, benefits and memorial services to service members, Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.

Among his many accomplishments, Lynch said the two program he’s most proud of starting are the Final Salute and the Final Mile. Both are sacred ceremonies that honor Veterans that have passed, which have become a hallowed tradition at the hospital.

Now, as Hercules and Lynch approach their well-earned retirement, the duo looks forward to a more relaxed pace. While Hercules will undoubtedly miss his daily rounds at the hospital, his weekends at the dog beach and fishing trips with the Lynch family will now become a more permanent fixture in his routine.

Although they are stepping back from full-time service, the bond between Hercules, Lynch and the community they served will never be forgotten.

When asked how he felt about the years spent at JAHVH, Hercules said, “Woof!”

We took that to mean, “I really enjoyed being here for you, and thank you for all the treats and belly rubs throughout the years. I’ll never forget you!”

For pictures of their farewell gathering, visit the James A. Haley VA Medical Center’s Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jahvh/albums/72177720320415833