A Pets For Vets Match Story

Bobby and Dixie

Bobby is a 20+ year Marine Gunny. He has seen multiple combat deployments, has been involved in multiple IED blasts, and has a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. As he nears the end of his military career he is dealing with the effects of combat. He contacted Pets for Vets in need of a doggie battle buddy to help his quality of life.


Dixie is a black lab who was lost in the hurricane. With no tags and no microchip an effort was made to find her family but it didn't work. We found out later she was 3 hours from being euthanized when she was rescued. We took her into training in our foster homes and she flourished after some much needed initial Veterinarian care. She is a very smart doggie and picked up on the training very quickly.

Soon enough we had match day for Bobby and Dixie. Bobby was waiting in his front yard when we pulled up and yes, a few tears were shed when they met. We allowed them time to get to know each other and then showed Bobby the commands Dixie knows, as well as all the supplies to get them started. The amazing thing is that on the first night together Bobby slept for a full night. This is nothing short of miraculous as many Veterans, including Bobby, have very poor sleep patterns with only a few hours of actual sleep on any given night.

Dixie was rescued only a few hours form being euthanized, and now it seems she paying it forward by rescuing Bobby!

National Matches

Other Matches From Around The Nation

Daniel and Bear

Daniel is an Army veteran who served in Iraq, and currently works for a precision aerospace fastener...

Learn More
Melissa and Shadow

Shadow has been doing absolutely amazing! Our favorite thing to do with her is playing fetch. She lo...

Learn More
DJ and Axel

Donald, also known as DJ, is from Michigan. DJ entered the Army in 2003 and left in 2011. He was an ...

Learn More

Connect With Us

Receive Our National Newsletter

Pets For Vets On Social Media

Take Action