This is a story of two lives who needed saving, and how fate brought them together. In early 2023, a mom and many puppies found themselves at a shelter that simply didn’t have room. Shelter staff miraculously saved mom and all of her puppies, and our partner rescue and Dog Star were able to bring them to CT. One amazing foster home, who has fostered more than 100 dogs, took this entire litter and mom in, and cared for them until they were old enough to be adopted. Each and every one – as well as mom – were soon adopted into loving homes. But this tale doesn’t stop here.
One of these lucky pups, now named Pepper, was adopted to local veteran suffering from PTSD. This veteran was hopeful that this dog would not only provide companionship, but also be a PTSD service dog. Working with a licensed trainer, Pepper became certified and now helps this veteran thrive – enjoying his life once again and helping him be an active part of his community. “Pepper has been amazing, she has saved my life.”
Pepper was also trained to detect low blood sugar, and on a recent store outing, helped alert a bystander of a medical emergency. We’d like to think Pepper was so thankful that she was saved, that she continues to paw it forward and save the lives of others too.
Dog Star Rescue, together with our Dog Star 4 Veterans program, matches honorably discharged U.S. veterans with rescue dogs, and provides support as well. This adoption and story was made possible by this program, many volunteers and our shelter partners. Each is a hero in our eyes and each has helped change lives.
Please note that our rescue can never guarantee that our dogs will make successful service dogs so we will always caution adopters in this situation.