After three tours in Iraq, veteran James Tessneer returned home with deep emotional wounds. Suffering from PTSD, Tessneer couldn't even take his daughter to the beach because the thought of setting foot on sand sent him into a "mental hell."
Because of PTSD, Tessneer has to live with a caregiver provided by the Veterans Administration and prayed for a service dog to save him.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away a dog named Decimo was rescued by One Warrior Won. The veterans organization rescues dogs from kill shelters and trains them to be service dogs for soldiers returning from battle. Decimo was saved a mere 24 hours before he was going to be euthanized. Now this dog is saving Tessneer.
This pooch is just one of the many dogs who are helping veterans overcome PTSD.
"Introducing a PTSD Service Dog into the life of a warrior not only vastly improves their life, but also those that they interact with on a daily basis," the One Warrior Won website states. "Knowing over 3,000 canines a day are euthanized in this country, and over 22 veterans a day are committing suicide, One Warrior Won saw a unique opportunity to help lower both those numbers."
In the video, Tessneer finally meets Decimo and you can see it is love at first sight! Man’s best friend can indeed be man's best medicine.
"To think that [Decimo] was going to be euthanized within 24 hours. He is just such a fantastic dog, I truly believe he knew he had a purpose," said his dog handler and trainer Christian Stickney.
Please SHARE this video so more people can find out about One Warrior Won, and other organizations like it.
