Solo is a special needs dog who saved his Navy rescuer “a thousand times over.” This is their story.

Solo

My story to Pets for Patriots from Angela, from my heart to yours.

A volunteer at Utah Animal Adoption Center (UACC) named him. I believe they named him Solo because he has a kindred, free spirit. I never got to meet the volunteer who named him, but that’s what I’ve come to know – he is named Solo for his spirit, not a Hans Solo reference (maybe it IS a Hans Solo reference – good guy). You decide for yourself!!

Solo has anxiety, just like I do, as a veteran with PTSD/MST (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Military Sexual Trauma). Solo was betrayed too. He was abandoned in a field somewhere in Utah by his previous owner and it took two months for animal control bring him in.

It became a sad and enduring moment when Solo’s time was up at the first shelter he was brought to. That’s when UACC stepped in and rescued him once more. He was barely at UACC a month when I fell in love with him. My son, Aiden, who at the time was five years old, fell in love too. I lost so much after reporting the sexual assault (rape) while on active duty Navy, even after an Honorable discharge in 2006, my marriage of five years ended in 2010 in part to the PTSD, I believe.

The savior and the saved

Solo has saved me a thousand times over since adopting him.  I know I have saved him too, along with Pets for Patriots‘ support both emotionally and financially.

Since adopting him, Solo received a full medical work up to see what’s going on with him, regular veterinary care, dental cleaning, stem cell therapy, and pain management for his hip dysplasia and neurological symptoms. The veterinarian believes, as do I, [that] he was abused and possibly hit by a vehicle at some point in his early life. He was two years old when I adopted him on February 6, 2013 and he is now five years of age. 

Solo has also received much love and TLC from Aiden and I. If it weren’t for having Solo, especially during the most pivotal times of my life, to name a few – the three-year custody battle of my son, Aiden, the PTSD triggers and reminders – I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here.

When someone says, “An animal is just an animal,” I say “No.” Animals save our lives and we should strive to do the same for them. I am living proof of just that.

Solo has saved me and I’m still here, alive and managing with the PTSD/MST – and so is Solo, alive and happy and well taken care of in a loving home. Thank you Pets for Patriots for advocating for us all, especially for the Solos in the world.

Special needs dog is a “guardian angel on earth”

Solo helps me and has helped me, and continues to do so.

Here is one sweet memory I’d like to share: he fell asleep with his head on my chest, in my bed, snoring the first day I adopted him. I believe he had not felt safe in a very, very long time and for once he did with me. I gave him refuge and in return he provided me SAFETY.

Solo saved me and my son Aiden, and has brought so much joy to our lives. He keeps a watchful eye over us both, especially my son Alden. Solo is always at my side.

I don’t know how much time I will have with Solo, but I have done everything I can to manage his health and pain and give him the happy, fulfilling life he deserves. I cherish each moment and every breathing second with him. 

Solo is my guardian angel on earth. He is our guardian angel on earth, for Alden and I.

Peace at last

I hadn’t felt peace in a long time prior to adopting Solo.

I felt peace the moment he looked into my eyes at UACC. It was an instant connection for Aiden and I. Looking back, we have moved forward in a huge way, me, Aiden and Solo. We’ve moved forward on the path we chose – pure happiness and bliss.

Thank you to Pets for Patriots for answering the call of duty because no one told you that you had to – you chose to rise to the occasion in saving animals lives and those like myself, wounded in a battle we may have not necessarily chosen ourselves, or at all. Thank you.

With love and great appreciation,

Angela, DAV, USN Navy veteran