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Program partners puppies with veterans

By Barry Wong
Published  January 17, 2025 3:09pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Nonprofit pairing puppies with struggling veterans

FOX 13 Photojournalist Barry Wong highlights a partnership between Holzerland Protection Dogs and the non-profit America’s K-9 Rescue, which has helped place Belgian Malinois emotional-support puppies with service veterans suffering from PTSD.

The Brief

    • Program partners puppies with veterans.
    • Holzerland Protection Dogs & America's K-9 Rescue teamed up to help veterans suffering from PTSD.
    • So far, 13 puppies have been placed with veterans across the country.

TAMPA - A partnership between Holzerland Protection Dogs and the non-profit America’s K-9 Rescue has helped place Belgian Malinois emotional-support puppies with service veterans who are suffering from PTSD. 

"A dog, a living being, there's a bond there that is really helping these people get through things that a psychologist, a psychiatrist really can't touch on," Holzerland Protection Dogs owner Brianna Holzerland said. 

Puppies for veterans

The backstory:

It all started during COVID in 2020. Her company, which specializes in Belgian Malinois breeding and training, donated a puppy to a frontline worker. She later found out that he was a veteran. 

"We later discovered that this dog really, really helped him just because he had severe PTSD," Holzerland said. "After talking with his family, we decided, let's just make this something recurring that we do about every three months."

Thirteen puppies have been placed with veterans in various parts of the country. The company is currently looking for nominations for another giveaway. 

"The biggest thing that we find is that it gives veterans a reason to get up in the morning," Holzerland said. 

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Puppies help veterans return to civilian life

What they're saying:

U.S. Army veteran Jeff Cotto received a puppy named Athena in April 2022. He echoes Holzerland’s thoughts. He says Athena forced him to build a daily routine that he felt he had lost since returning to civilian life. 

"Now that I got her, wake up, feed her, do some training every now and then," Cotto said. "It's always like, what am I going to do for her."

Cotto calls Athena his shotgun rider, taking her everywhere he goes, from the beach to the grocery store. 

"The bonding through activities, she's just excited, 24/7, just to be around me, which is pretty cool," Cotto said. 

Athena’s exploits are shared through an Instagram page, which is another way Cotto has built a routine. Cotto runs the marketing for his training business, so he thought it would be fun to build a page for her. 

"It helps keep me accountable in terms of her training and activities," Cotto said. 

More information

What you can do:

If you would like to nominate a veteran for the latest puppy giveaway, there are instructions here. 

Holzerland stresses having a detailed story about miliary service and being ready with multiple references. 

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