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Hello my name is Joe and this is my dog Faith. I'm working on raising money for a wonderful organization that gave me my life back. H4 – Hounds Helping Heroes Heal has a great mission - to create a healthier future for U.S. Military Veterans that are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by pairing them with an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) / Companion or a PTSD Service Dog that is rescued from a shelter. The goal is to reduce the Veteran’s symptoms and assist in their transition back into civilian life through the support and companionship of a dog, thereby saving two lives at a time. Helping a hero; by helping a dog.
H4 has paired 20+ heroes with their battle buddies - so far. They still have a lot of work to do, and cannot do it without your donations! Did you know that 22 veterans commit suicide every day?! That's a scary statistic. H4 is working to reduce this number, one veteran and one rescued dog, at a time.
My personal story... I served in The U.S. Marine Corps during the Gulf War era. I was an hour away from D.C. on 9/11, and my unit was in charge of guarding nuclear assets, so we were extremely fearful that our base was going to be hit as well. We were on high alert for weeks. Even though I never had the opportunity to serve overseas, I know my jobs stateside were very important to my brothers and sisters who were. While in the Marines, there was one traumatic incident that took place, which ultimately changed my life. Since then, I have struggled with depression, anxiety, anger, insomnia, and nightmares, as well as the day to day struggle with just being out in public and being on high alert constantly. I've been told I have PTSD from this incident specifically. All of the other things one is exposed to being in the service contribute to this. I also suffer from balance issues and pain associated with a disabling condition called CRPS or RSD. I have a high tendency to just fall for no reason at all. Sometimes there's a small inconsistency in whatever I'm walking on, other times my knees or ankles just give out. I am also in chronic, intense, debilitating, pain constantly. Just looking at me, most people don't see anything wrong with me - other than a limp.
Faith was a stray dog that was found by an Arlington Animal Control Officer in pretty awful shape. She was emaciated and had several cuts on her face. She was adopted by a couple who later decided that she was too big for them, and so Faith found herself headed back to the shelter. That is when Hounds Helping Heroes Heal picked her up. She was only 50lbs at this time, so their first priority was to get her healthy. They also provided her with behavior modification, training and prepared her to work in public places.
Faith has lived with me for 8 months now. She is a healthy 95 lbs and you can barely see the scars. She has helped me tremendously. I have had a tendency to always stay inside, unless my wife is with me. Things have changed. I have actually gone to the grocery store while she’s at work, to get everything for dinner. I still don’t like going out in public, but as long as Faith is with me, there is nothing we can’t do.
H4 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Your donations are tax deductible! All donations go directly to the dogs and Veterans. The rescued dogs are provided food, vaccinations, veterinary care, training, etc. The Veterans are provided travel accommodations in order to train with their dog.
I have a private company that will match all donations up to $1500. Every dollar counts! Thank you for your support and God Bless.
www.h4hero.org
H4 has paired 20+ heroes with their battle buddies - so far. They still have a lot of work to do, and cannot do it without your donations! Did you know that 22 veterans commit suicide every day?! That's a scary statistic. H4 is working to reduce this number, one veteran and one rescued dog, at a time.
My personal story... I served in The U.S. Marine Corps during the Gulf War era. I was an hour away from D.C. on 9/11, and my unit was in charge of guarding nuclear assets, so we were extremely fearful that our base was going to be hit as well. We were on high alert for weeks. Even though I never had the opportunity to serve overseas, I know my jobs stateside were very important to my brothers and sisters who were. While in the Marines, there was one traumatic incident that took place, which ultimately changed my life. Since then, I have struggled with depression, anxiety, anger, insomnia, and nightmares, as well as the day to day struggle with just being out in public and being on high alert constantly. I've been told I have PTSD from this incident specifically. All of the other things one is exposed to being in the service contribute to this. I also suffer from balance issues and pain associated with a disabling condition called CRPS or RSD. I have a high tendency to just fall for no reason at all. Sometimes there's a small inconsistency in whatever I'm walking on, other times my knees or ankles just give out. I am also in chronic, intense, debilitating, pain constantly. Just looking at me, most people don't see anything wrong with me - other than a limp.
Faith was a stray dog that was found by an Arlington Animal Control Officer in pretty awful shape. She was emaciated and had several cuts on her face. She was adopted by a couple who later decided that she was too big for them, and so Faith found herself headed back to the shelter. That is when Hounds Helping Heroes Heal picked her up. She was only 50lbs at this time, so their first priority was to get her healthy. They also provided her with behavior modification, training and prepared her to work in public places.
Faith has lived with me for 8 months now. She is a healthy 95 lbs and you can barely see the scars. She has helped me tremendously. I have had a tendency to always stay inside, unless my wife is with me. Things have changed. I have actually gone to the grocery store while she’s at work, to get everything for dinner. I still don’t like going out in public, but as long as Faith is with me, there is nothing we can’t do.
H4 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Your donations are tax deductible! All donations go directly to the dogs and Veterans. The rescued dogs are provided food, vaccinations, veterinary care, training, etc. The Veterans are provided travel accommodations in order to train with their dog.
I have a private company that will match all donations up to $1500. Every dollar counts! Thank you for your support and God Bless.
www.h4hero.org