FARMINGTON — A stray dog brought to Maine from South Carolina will soon head south again as a service dog for a wounded veteran.

Rocky arrived at the Franklin County Animal Shelter from Macon County just a few days before One Warrior Won founder Richard Brewer and Vice President of Operations Julie Plummer came up from Portland to meet him and adopted him last Tuesday, said Billie Jo McDonald, animal care technician.

“They fell in love with him,” she said. “He was exactly what they wanted.”

Rocky will stay with them for a few days before heading to Washington, D.C., for four to six months of intensive training before he is presented to a veteran in North Carolina. Employees at the local shelter have been invited to the giveaway ceremony, but it is a little far away, she said.

As part of One Warrior Won, rescue dogs are chosen from animal shelters to become service dogs for wounded veterans or those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries,  she said.

“Knowing over 3,000 canines a day are euthanized in this country, and over 22 veterans a day are committing suicide, One Warrior Won saw a unique opportunity to help lower both those numbers,” the website reads.

The PTSD Service Dog program allows the dog to be saved and trained. In turn, the dog saves the warrior.

The shelter lists its dogs on Pet Finder and Adopt a Pet, McDonald said. For this North Carolina veteran, One Warrior Won searched through 3,500 candidates across New England and came up to see Rocky.

Rocky, 5, is the oldest dog ever put into the program. He has been renamed Liberty by his future owner.

He knows some basic commands, such as “sit” and “stay,” and has good recall. He also has the right attitude toward other dogs, she said. Shelter staff were not sure of his circumstances but he is friendly, she said.

They were looking for a medium-sized dog with a few extra pounds, 60-pounds plus, she said. The weight apparently helps with the therapy and the veteran’s anxiety. 

According to the website, founder Brewer was wounded in Beirut, Lebanon, while serving as a Marine Corps combat veteran in 1984. He eventually earned a college degree and came to Maine to teach at Cheverus High School. But he suffered from PTSD as “the war within” plagued him, although everything on the outside appeared to be fine. A suicide attempt was averted as he decided to live for his family and instead turned his frustration to PTSD/TBI education. 

He came to the local shelter with his own service dog, Unka, whose job is to stand behind the veteran, provide constant comfort and help him not to feel nervous, McDonald said.

For the staff of the local shelter, the experience was an awesome, uplifting one, she said.

“It makes the things we do here worth it,” she said.

It doesn’t happen all the time, but it was positive, unlike some publicity the shelter receives, she said.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

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