Ryan served 5 years with the US Army, including a deployment to Iraq in 2004. While deployed, Ryan’s squad found themselves under attack, and as a result, Ryan, and many of his fellow soldiers, were shot. Ryan was later diagnosed with PTSD, stemming from these events. Ryan finds himself detached from relationships he once held close, lacks focus, and experiences frequent nightmares, which keep him from a restful night’s sleep. He is hypervigilant and suffers from anxiety when he is out in public. Ryan says that most days he feels lost, but after experiencing the love his first paws4people Dog, SADIE, gave him on a daily basis, he hopes that a successor dog will allow him to let his guard down, instead of living on constant alert, and continue on his journey to a better life.
Ryan met MAVERICK in May 2019, and he stole his heart! MAVERICK is a fun-loving Black Lab who will help Ryan by anchoring to his anxiety, paying attention when in crowded public places, and waking him from his nightmares. This will allow Ryan the peace of mind he needs to get back to society comfortably and confidently. We are thrilled to have this team as part of our family, and cannot wait to see the great things they will do together.
MAVERICK was named by The Maverick Foundation.
