Did you know that as many as 20% of returning veterans suffer from PTSD? One of those brave soldiers is a US Army PFC Veteran named Wally who served in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Wally was a Paratrooper (Airborne) and Telecommunications Center Operator whose job was to decrypt top-secret information and relay it to high ranking officers. After years of devoted service, Wally found it difficult to reacclimate to civilian life in Texas.
He was diagnosed with severe PTSD and suffers from panic attacks, anxiety, and hyper-vigilance, making it difficult for him to be in public or even leave his home. But that was before Izzy came along!
Last April, Wally was paired with a highly-trained Yellow Labrador named Isabel (Izzy). Service dogs like Izzy cost about $25,000 and most insurance companies do not cover them. Luckily, there are groups dedicated to ensuring that heroes like Wally never pay a dime for the animals they need and deserve.
Along with our charity partner, GreaterGood.org, iHeartDogs provides funding to organizations like Patriot Paws that train and match companion dogs with veterans. 20% of every item you purchase from our Pets and Vets line is donated to pair veterans with these life-changing animals.
According to Wally, Izzy has completely transformed his life.
“Izzy is an amazing service dog, teammate and best friend. She helps me to feel more at ease with anxiety and my surroundings. She is always very close to me as if to tell me she is there. I love Izzy’s ‘happy ears’ whenever she sees me. I can’t say thank you enough to Patriot PAWS for giving me my life back.”
Check out all of our Pets and Vets products and visit PatriotPaws.org to find out how you can help!
via Whisker Therapy