Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes

It brings Jessica Kensky joy to watch her dog run.

At the park, Rescue the black Labrador chases balls down and leaps with athletic abandon.

He came into Kensky ’s life six months after the Boston Marathon bombing.

Kensky , now 35, and her husband, Patrick Downes, 33, each lost their left leg below the knee as a result of the attack. Rescue, her service dog, is her favorite subject — and a reason to get up in the morning. His large head and heavy jowls made her laugh for what seemed like the first time in years. The day he came home with the couple in September 2013, Kensky actually slept through the night for the first time since the bombing. CLICK FOR MORE