Man's Best Friend Helps Heal War Wounds
Published: May 01, 2010
by Gloria Hillard
Unwanted and abandoned dogs fill shelters nationwide, and not many will get a second chance. But, in California there's a new organization that is saving one dog at a time and, in the process, helping those who have served.
One of those people is Leif Meisinger, a combat veteran who still wears a military-style buzz cut. His arms are tapestries of colored ink, including a few tattoos he got in Iraq.
The 40-year-old former Army gunner says he has a mild traumatic brain injury after a roadside bomb blast and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"It was like I was back in Iraq again," he says. "I was up at night, and I would sleep during the day."
A few months ago, something in his life changed. Meisinger received a dog from Pets for Vets -- a Los Angeles-based organization that matches shelter dogs with veterans like Meisinger who are having a hard time re-entering civilian life.
Published: May 01, 2010
by Gloria Hillard
Unwanted and abandoned dogs fill shelters nationwide, and not many will get a second chance. But, in California there's a new organization that is saving one dog at a time and, in the process, helping those who have served.
One of those people is Leif Meisinger, a combat veteran who still wears a military-style buzz cut. His arms are tapestries of colored ink, including a few tattoos he got in Iraq.
The 40-year-old former Army gunner says he has a mild traumatic brain injury after a roadside bomb blast and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"It was like I was back in Iraq again," he says. "I was up at night, and I would sleep during the day."
A few months ago, something in his life changed. Meisinger received a dog from Pets for Vets -- a Los Angeles-based organization that matches shelter dogs with veterans like Meisinger who are having a hard time re-entering civilian life.
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