Australian Defence Force veteran Dave Milne of the 2026 Paralympics spoke exclusively to Sospilne Sport about his dog Sookie, who helps him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Milne served in the military for 20 years. In 2022, Milne and his two daughters, Isla and Anna, were involved in an accident in California when they collided with a snowplow while taking them skiing.
The Australian managed to get his daughters out of the car, but he himself was trapped inside for an hour. He was eventually rescued, but the accident left Milne with two legs amputated; he also broke both femurs, lower vertebrae and three ribs, and he underwent more than 10 operations, writes The Independent.
After the incident, Milne spent two days in an induced coma and 17 days in intensive care, and spent another two months in hospital and seven weeks of rehabilitation at home. In 2024, the Australian competed in para-skiing and para-biathlon for the first time in Canada. Early the following year, Milne went to the Invictus Games for Australia, where he became the flag bearer and won silver in the para-biathlon. In 2026, the veteran entered the Australian squad for his debut Paralympics.
Milne will compete in the parabiathlon and para-skiing in a sitting class at the 2026 Paralympic Games. In an exclusive interview with Sospilne Sport, Milne described his emotions after competing at the 2026 Paralympic Games and talked about his dog Sookie, who helped him after his accident.
“I had an incident in the snow three years ago, so going back into that environment can still be quite a trigger for me. She [Sookie] is there to help me, to keep me calm. Sometimes she does things like lie on me to relieve tension, or she tries to divert my attention to herself.”
“Sport is a great outlet for me. It was a tough few years after the incident. Just to be here, three years later, and to be back in the environment is great, I'm enjoying every moment.”
Paralympic skier Dave Milne competes in the sitting class at the 2026 Paralympics. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
“These have been extraordinary days, settling in here together [with Suki] and enjoying the atmosphere. Suki's name means “love” in Japanese. She was named that by the organization that trained her to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“We're very lucky, the two dogs that are here with us came from a program called Defence Community Dogs. They train dogs, often those who couldn't become guides for the visually impaired. They train them to prevent anxiety in veterans. So we're lucky to have them on the team. They really help with mental health, we take them everywhere.”
The Australian has so far competed in four races at the 2026 Games. His best results were 20th place in the 10-kilometer classic race in para-skiing, as well as in the sprint in para-biathlon, where Ukrainian Taras Rad won.