My Nonprofit Reviews

I spent 8 yrs. on Active Duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. My job in the Marine Corps was Military Police. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002 and then again in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I worked for several years once I was medically separated from the Marine Corps in 2007. However, the anxiety attacks began to occur more frequently. At nights I couldn't sleep, which lead to extremely long days at work. Eventually, after many suicidal thoughts and severe anxiety attacks I was unable to continue working in Sep 2015.

I was on a PTSD Facebook page in December 2013 and learned of a person named Sheila Slezak who was training Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD and/or TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). I contacted her immediately and started the process of getting a Service Dog. I received Samson, a two-year-old German Shepherd, in March of 2014.

Samson goes with me everywhere and watches everything and everyone around me, which eases my mind. He assists with calming me when I am having an Anxiety Attack. He will get my attention so that I will focus on him rather than things going on around me. He does walk the house prior to bed, and at night he will sleep in front of my bedroom door, which is an added sense of security for me. He is by my side constantly and cries if I leave the house without him. He has given me another thing, plus my family, to look forward to every morning. However, the trauma is still there and will never completely go away. Samson just helps when the need arises and is a true friend the rest of the time. I have lost most friends due to living a reclusive lifestyle since my discharge, but Samson has made the trips to town easier, mentally, and will be by my side for a long time.

I will forever be indebted to Dogs 4 Warriors and Sheila Slezak for their unwavering support and continued mission of helping veterans. Very few organizations can say they are changing veteran’s lives FREE and really mean it. Sheila is an amazing woman and has a great family, which is continuing to grow on a daily basis with every new Veteran who is accepted into the Dogs 4 Warriors program.

I believe so much in this organization that I moved my family from TN to OH in order to be closer to this organization. I visit frequently and love meeting the new Veterans who are starting their training with their Service Dogs.

Everyone at Dogs 4 Warriors is “ALL-VOLUNTEERS”. No one receives money for his or her time and energy that is put into saving Veterans lives by pairing Disabled Veterans with a Service Dog.