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Patriot story: Charles and Abby

ClosedDeadline: 05/12/2014

Story Details

Background:

Charles adopted Abby in January 2014 through our partnership with Big Dog Ranch Rescue. Abby was a then two year-old Lab mix whose original name was Sila.
  • Assignment goal is to synthesize the information provided by the member patriot into a compelling story
  • It is not necessary to tell the veteran's story in the order that s/he provided the information unless that is the best way to tell the story
  • It is not necessary to use all the quotes provided
  • You may make minor adjustments to the quotes only to correct for grammer, punctuation, spelling, etc.
  • Punctuation always resides inside the quote marks, e.g., "like this," and not "like this",
  • Close the story with a compelling call to action or question based upon the story's narrative and place in italics at the end, e.g., What are you more willing and able to do now that you have a pet in your life?

Quotes:

A little about me
I spend a lot of time riding with the Combat Veteran Motorcycle Association, which is a 501(c) 19 "Veteran for Vetreans" non-profit organization that rides motorcycles. I am one of the "Can't pass a fiscal budget" that got laid off, and now I own and operate a lawn mowing business in South Florida. At age 46, just began my GI Bill... here's hoping I can get through the math!
My military experiences
20 year retired Air Force. Retired 1 Nov 2009 after 8.2 years of combat deployments. 7 years stationed overseas in Misawa Japan and Moron Spain to go along with 3 Stateside locations. First 15 years was Security Police/Forces, then retrained into Logistic Plans.
My most memorable experience from my time in service
Besides all of the combat, it would have to be
Why I chose to adopt a pet
The look in their eyes when they look at you... all that they are, they give to you, unconditionally. That type of devotion is hard to find outside of the Military, and somehow, this dog keeps me grounded.
Why I chose to adopt through Pets for Patriots
We heard about your program before, and thought we knew what it was about. When we went to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in West Palm Beach, FL... it was the people there that told us to contact you guys to assist us in getting the dog! Best advise I had gotten in a long time!
How my honorably adopted pet has changed my life
She has made me more aware of the needs of "something else" in my life! I know that she is so smart that if she had thumbs then she could take care of the doors and anything else in her way of what is needed. She has made me realize that it is ok to be responsible for another being again and to allow the love to flow both ways without regrets!
What I love most about my new pet friend
She wants to; and does, go everywhere with me! I take her out on lawn mowing, she loves riding in the truck and watching the horses go by on one of the properties... gets to play with a Mastiff and another, and a Rottweiler at a third property. She even lets us put on her sunglasses and load her up on the motorcycle and go burn up some highway! As long as she is with us, she is happy! She will sit or lay down whenever we stop moving... restaurants, bars, piers, beach... wherever and everywhere!
What I would tell other veterans or service members who might be thinking about adopting through Pets for Patriots
The program that Pets for Patriots offers you is the opportunity to not only get a dog very affordable, but also to get some awesome discounts at Veterinarian's and also an awesome gift card so you can ensure that you start off with your new companion on an awesome start!
From post adoption follow ups:
She is absolutely a blast to have in our lives… we think she rescued us! The first day meeting her, she was calm, and in the true meaning of dog… she claimed me by peeing on my boot. I knew she was marking me as hers, so all I had to do was wait for her to finish, then establish my dominance, and that was it! She follows whoever is moving around the house to wherever it is we go, then finds a middle ground to lay down on so she can keep track of both of us! So much fun to be with, and an absolute lover and attention hound when she needs some! She can communicate when she is hungry and when she needs to go out for a break. All in all, she is awesome!   Thank you for the Pets for Patriots efforts!!! Y’all are great!
Sila is a wonderful dog! She was already well behaved, and from the moment we changed collars and leashes to the one’s that we were going to use, she was ready to go!   We have taken great delight in watching this little girl! We have done a lot of research, and the breed she resembles the most is the Novascotia Red Tolling Duck Retriever, or Red Duck Dog. A fun, intelligent bundle of energy! The funniest, yet most training part we have with her is that she is a great trader. She will take a toy, and place it next to the item that she wants, and trade for it! Funny to see her prancing through the house with a shoe, sock, roll of toilet paper or anything we have not thought to get behind a closed door. This is not a problem, just a fun personality trait she has!   Since she did not respond to Sila, we have changed her name to Abby. She is starting to come to the name now and seems to respond to it at a distance!   She is awesome with other dogs of any size! The last trip to the dog park, we took her into the big dog area; she weights 28lbs, and after all of the introductions… she was playing chase, and fetch with a Sheppard/Lab mix, and a Blue Pit Bull. Tried it and it was a great success! In the little dog side, those dogs were not well adjusted and the people with them did nothing to try to work with their dogs to be well adjusted. Typical little yippy dogs barking and snipping at everything.   She is awesome! We have some work to do with her, but she responds to training very well!   Thank you for checking in on us! Keep up the great program!