Liberty Dogs held its inaugural graduation ceremony for its Purpose-Bred Program Friday morning. The dogs have been training for two years to become service dogs.
They are either labradors or golden retrievers and they are purposely bred to become service dogs for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
They spend the entirety of their first two years of life being trained by community members to become certified service dogs. Then, they're paired with a specific veteran for the last bit of their training before heading home with them permanently.
“My future is brighter. You know, I have more confidence going out in public,” said Marc O. Allen. “I would say that I've visited parts of me that I haven't visited in a long time. And she just gives me that hope towards a brighter future.”
Allen is a Retired Chief Master Sergeant with the U.S. Air Force. He was paired with Daisy, a yellow labrador retriever.
Daisy helps calm Allen's anxieties while in public, providing support to her partner. Allen says Daisy's influence over the last few weeks has already changed his life, which is exactly what Liberty Dogs hopes to do for every veteran in their programs.
“It means something to be the dispensers of hope in terms of the work we do just to help the lives and the families of the veterans we serve,” said Ondra Berry, CEO of Liberty Dogs, and a Retired Major General with the Air National Guard.
Three other pairs graduated alongside Allen and Daisy, including the first ever puppy to join the program.
Liberty Dogs says they're hoping to have a new litter of puppies soon and begin the entire process once again.
Click this link to learn more about Liberty Dogs and its programs.
