This fundraiser has been started to support Anthony Abuyen, a retired U.S. Navy combat veteran suffering from PTSD and depression, and a recent victim of car theft TWICE during the recent holidays.

Anthony currently has a service dog named Keli’i, and a K9 companion named Kenji who travels with him wherever he goes. Both dogs are Belgian Malinois who are trained to assist Anthony with emotional support to help treat his PTSD and depression after serving three deployments in the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The stolen vehicle was a 1996 Honda Odyssey and was outfitted with two kennels primarily used to transport his two dogs, along with various dog accessories such as leashes, muzzles, and service vests.

Without a reliable source of transportation for Anthony and his service animals, he has been experiencing great difficulty in executing normal day-to-day tasks such as going to work, running errands, and picking up groceries to sustain a humble and modest quality of life for him and his dogs.

Your support will go towards helping Anthony attain a similar vehicle large enough to transport his dogs, as well as helping replace various items that were stolen from his vehicle. Any additional funds will help support the ongoing health and needs of his service dogs.

With gratitude and warm thoughts for everyone’s continued support in Anthony’s life journey, he and his dogs thank you from the bottom of their hearts.

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On November 27, 2024, the night before Thanksgiving, Anthony went to work with his service animal Keli’i. He usually parks his van in the designated veteran stall. The van also clearly sports handicap plates, veteran stickers, and service animal stickers that are noticeable to anyone passing by. As he was leaving work after a long eight-hour shift, Anthony noticed that the van was no longer at the stall he typically parks at. At this point, he knew his vehicle was stolen so he called the police to file a police report. The police followed up with surveillance footage taken by a camera trailer situated in the parking lot and noticed that two individuals involved in the incident did in fact steal his van from the parking lot.

On December 1, 2024, the police recovered the vehicle from an undisclosed location and alerted Anthony of the news, and where to retrieve his vehicle. Luckily, Anthony’s insurance company was able to provide a rental car for the time being and arrange for the van to be towed back to his home.

On December 3, 2024, the van was dropped off at his home. Anthony inspected the vehicle and noticed that the ignition had been stripped, the battery was removed, and various dog items within the vehicle were also missing. Already dealing with an exhausting and emotional day, Anthony decided that he would start repairing the van the next day.

Unfortunately, as he went outside to check on his vehicle the next morning, he noticed that the van disappeared once again. He was absolutely puzzled as to how a van with no battery and no visible broken glass could have just disappeared from his driveway. He then asked neighbors if they had any security footage that could help him piece together what happened that night. But the limited footage only captured what happened before and after the van was stolen, which was before 1:30am and after 2:30am. After filing another police report, they eventually found the vehicle but was deemed totaled and unusable. Anthony has been reeling from the events ever since.

Anthony has endured many obstacles in his life since retiring from the military prematurely due to combat related injuries. Despite having gone through a tough divorce that left him homeless for a year and unable to see his three children, he picked himself back up and relocated from San Diego to the Bay Area to stay with siblings and start a new life. He enrolled back into school and eventually earned a Bachelor’s Degree at San Jose State University in Occupational Therapy, then went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy.

The journey wasn’t easy as he was diagnosed with PTSD and Depression during this time, as well as Traumatic Brain Injury that causes him to be more forgetful. After meeting fellow veterans with similar situations, he was advised to look into owning a service animal. This decision proved to be a pivotal and life-changing moment for Anthony, as his K9 companion Keli’i truly helped him become a better version of himself through their companionship, and also being able to meet and help a community of people struggling with similar circumstances.

At this point, Anthony simply wants to rebuild his life so that he can continue to fulfill his purpose in helping others through their hardships with the training and utilization of service animals. So, with your support, you are not only helping Anthony get back on his feet, but you are also helping so many others that rely and depend on his knowledge and expertise to continue on their road to recovery.