By Mark Ambrogi
Justin Seifried certainly believes in love at first sight. It happened for Seifried and his Dutchess.
Seifried, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, went looking for his lost cat in May at the Humane Society for Hamilton County and the animal lover couldn’t help but take a peek at the dogs.
Dutchess, a mixed breed of collie, corgi and beagle, caught his eye. She was let out to play and snatched Seifried’s heart.
“I felt so bad. I knew I couldn’t go anywhere else without her,” said Seifried, a 24-year-old Fishers resident. “There was no way I could get a different dog because I found my best friend.”
When Seifried asked about adoption procedures, Amanda Ryan, manager of community outreach for Humane Society for Hamilton County, informed him about the Pets healing Vets program. The program pairs qualifying veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury with shelter animals in need of homes. The Humane Society for Hamilton County is open to vets throughout the state.
Ryan explained to Seifried how the emotional support animals can be adopted for free and bills would be paid for spay/neuter and vaccines. The humane society also provides training and ongoing behavior counseling if needed.
“It blew my mind how amazing that program is,” said Seifried, who later had his lost cat returned to him. “You don’t see many businesses and human societies go all out for veterans like that. It really touched me.”
Seifried, who was driving, suffered a serious concussion when his truck was hit by a 500-pound roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
“It was so big. I just blacked out,” Seifried said. “My squad leader thought I was dead because I was out cold. Later when I got back, I was told I’d have permanent brain swelling which means my brain got jarred so bad that it’s constantly bruised. My memory has started to slip a bit. I have some complications in my left eye.
“It made me who I am today. It made me see the little things and appreciate what a soldier goes through over there.”
Seifried had various other injuries and wounds during his tour. A grenade went off near his ear, causing some hearing loss.
“My body definitely took a beat down over there,” Seifried said.
His 101st unit was part of the biggest missions in Afghanistan history called Operation Strong Eagle III in 2011.
“I lost six of my best friends in six hours,” Seifried said. “I wear this bracelet to remind me of them.”
Seifried had enlisted in the Army, 10 days after graduating from Livermore (Iowa) High School in 2009. He took a medical discharge on Sept. 1, 2012. He served one 13-month tour of Afghanistan.
“I was in on at least 150 firefights and high-profile missions and definitely saw my action as a 19-year-old kid.
Dutchess can sense when Seifried needs support.
“We’ve had our rough times thinking about the memories overseas,” Seifried said. “She knows when I’m upset. She’ll come to me when I’m laying on bed thinking. She’ll lay her head on my chest and get really close to me. An emotional support dog is exactly what she is. She’s loving and caring. She does this thing where you can actually see her smile. When she knows I’m sad, she’ll smile.”
The two friends rescued each other.
“I like to say she needs me as much as I need her and I need her a lot.”
AlphaGraphics, a Carmel printing business, is a big supporter of the 2-year-old Pets healing Vets program
Every day, 22 veterans commit suicide. Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals (1.2 million dogs, 1.4 million cats) are euthanized.
“This is a way to put these two populations together and help both of them,” said Rhonda Kile, who owns the business with her husband Michael.
A Pets healing Vets fundraising event will be held at AlphaGraphics, 12955 Old Meridian St., Carmel, from 3 to 7 p.m. Nov. 8. The event is also hosted by A Cut Above Catering and Halo Salon. There will be a silent auction, food and drinks, raffle and entertainment. Silent auction items are donated by a Humane Society for Hamilton County, the program’s sponsor, and a variety of area merchants. Visit the website, www.us605.alphagraphics.com/AG_PetsHealingVets for a list of items.
Kile said during the month of November they are asking businesses to help by donating a percentage of an item or service or trade coupons for a donation. Kile said AlphaGraphics will provide a full-color, personalized poster for the business’ door or window and will print and distribute flyers with each business and its offer.
