Approximately nine years ago, my husband and I rescued a dog for your son who has PTSD.  Little did we know that it was actually Bear who rescued us.  

A little bit about Bear.  He was an owner surrender in Dade County Florida.  At 65 pounds he was extremely underweight. You see, Bear is a BIG dog.  Unfortunately for Bear, large dogs, especially large black dogs don't adopt out so well in the south.  It seemed like Bear's days were numbered until the staff at Miami/Dade Animal Shelter saw in Bear something special and they could not put him down.  The shelter contacted rescues in the Northeast asking for anyone to please take Bear in, get him back in good health and adopt him out.

Luckily for us, Pick Your Paw in New Jersey decided they were up to the task.  I found Bear on petfinders.com when I was at a loss as to what to do for my son who with PTSD didn't want to live.  It is heartbreaking to see you child in such distress and not know how to help.  When he was honorable discharged from the Marines, he came home to live with us.  

Our son chose to set up his room in our unfinished basement and not his old room upstairs.  We went through several emotional months of dramatic lows.  

My therapist suggested we get our son a dog of his own; as we as a family had one already.  So I searched Petfinder for a big black dog, something he had always wanted.  

I found Bear, or Ben/Bear as he was then.  

The day we surprised our son with Bear, who was now a slightly heavier 85 pounds,  I can only say didn't go as i had planned.  He was overwhelmed with the responsibility of his own dog.  We assured him we would take care of him until he was ready.  

Over the next two months Bear settled in wonderfully with our family with our son coming upstairs from time to time to pet or sit with outside.

Three months later, I was asked by my son if he could have his old bedroom upstairs.  OF COURSE YOU CAN.  And to say the rest is history is an understatement.

Bear and my son were inseparable, and although it was my husband and I who cared for him, Bear just knew who he belonged to, my child. 

It has been a long road but Bear saved my son when we couldn't.  Bear is now at a healthy weight of 150 pounds.  For Christmas last year we got a DNA kit to test him.  It turns out he is what is called a Designer Breed dog.  50% purebred on both sides.  German Sheperd on one side and Rottweiler on the other.

Our goal is to raise enough money to adopt out dogs from shelters and hopefully set them up with families who are in need of a companion for a veteran, child with special needs, or anyone who could use the love of a dog.  

Thank you for listening to my story and for any donations you feel you would like to give.

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