“We have a soft spot in our house for animals. When LOV was getting new puppies about a year and a half ago, my friend Karen, who also fosters with LOV, said you should really bring a puppy home. She knew exactly who to ask. We’ve had six dogs so far. They’re such good puppies. They just aren’t the same as regular puppies. There is something super-special about them. It makes it easy. They become part of our family. They fit right in. We fall in love with them all.

“People ask why we’re doing this—falling in love with a dog, putting time and energy into a dog and then giving it away. We never look at them as our dogs. We treat them as our dogs. But we know these dogs are not meant to be pets. They are so much more than a pet. If you ever have a chance to meet the Veterans and hear how your efforts have changed their lives, how kids now have their daddy back or a wife has her husband back and how special those things are that we take for granted—that’s why.

“We’ve giving back to somebody who gave everything so we can live a free life. We talk about that a lot with our kids. A little bit of heartache is not even comparable to the sacrifices these men and women are making. They go to war, do whatever they are called to do for people who sometimes don’t even appreciate them. The least thing I can do is do what we do best: Love on the animal and let them go save someone’s life.”