- Go get it!

(dog panting) (calm piano music) Watch me.

Go watch me?

There you go.

Ready?

Set?

Go get it!

Good boy!

This is Rooney.

He is a German German Shepherd, Czech working lines.

Him and I are, we're a team.

He is, you know, first and foremost, he's my service dog.

A lot of us have never gone outside since we've come back.

We're dealing with some of the demons from our time serving.

(calm piano music) I've had some really dark days and recently I had a loss, and it was really bad.

In the past, I might've spiraled down into, you know, maybe even wanting to end my life, but I don't think that way anymore.

Oh, he's a good boy!

Yeah, that's a good boy!

(lips smacking) He's been my friend.

He's made me feel like I'm safe in the world when I'm with him.

Yeah!

(lips smacking) - Guardian Angels is Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. A nationwide non-profit that is based in Williston, Florida.

The majority of the dogs go to military veterans.

What made me get involved is I'm a veteran.

I'm a Vietnam veteran.

I've seen and know many veterans that have serious challenges in life.

Some of those challenges are invisible challenges.

Many of the individuals receiving these dogs have had traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, seizures, nightmares, just have serious problems adapting to society once again.

And that's really where these dogs are needed the most.

What we found out was that Western Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh area has really become the strongest region in the country of supporting Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs.

This region has sponsored at least 50, 60 dogs.

(calm piano music) Service dogs are incredibly intelligent.

Their ability to smell is 50 times greater than a human being.

They can sense through the smell of a person's saliva that a seizure may be coming on and alert them to take the proper medication.

The same with a diabetic, the same with nightmares, the same with helping them out physically.

So the dog can be trained to address the specific issues that the person has.

And most importantly, let that individual know that "I have a friend right beside me all the time".

- They get trained from the time they're three weeks old and they go through a lot of training, a lot of different scenarios.

And then near the end of it, when they're getting ready to get paired with the veteran and whatever task they need to do for them, they focus on that.

You know, I actually think he enjoys working because he looks forward to me putting his vest on and going out.

He gets a little smile on his face which is so cool.

Rooney, uh-ah!

Come on!

Pause!

Good boy!

That's a good boy!

That's a good boy!

Yeah!

(inspiring music) Good boy!

You ready?

You ready?

Since I got out of the army, I've had some health declines.

He can actually, if I'm on the ground and can't get back up, he can do the Brace command.

And I would grab right here and I could kind of, boost myself up from the ground.

He can actually pick something up and bring it to me.

Bring it!

So that's the command if I needed him to bring me something, and then also I'd suffered some trauma inside of the military.

And he helps with that whenever I get into certain situations and the PTSD kicks in.

As he gets between me and another person, that's a term's called, Shielding, - Hi, baby!

So that's Shielding.

That was Rooney looking behind and not reacting when someone said, "Hi baby" to him.

And then he'll look behind us to see if anybody's coming.

So he always has my six.

He's always watching.

(car passes) Atta, girl!

- When the vest is on, she knows that she's at work.

She's by my side.

She never leaves.

Up!

Good girl!

This is Clara.

She's a German Shepherd.

I got paired with her in July of 2020.

And she's just absolutely amazing.

She's always there for me.

I have PTSD from my time in the war and I have lots of problems with anxiety, depression, hyper-vigilance when I'm out in public.

Prior to having Clara, I was suicidal.

I was depressed.

I just didn't want to get up.

Well, because I have her, it kind of forces me to get up 'cause I have to take care of her.

And then it forces me to take care of myself.

Stay!

Clara's brought me leaps and bounds, honestly.

Here!

(upbeat inspiring music) Good girl!

(upbeat inspiring music increase in tempo) It was very difficult doing anything by myself.

Now that I have Clara, I can go to the grocery store and shop by myself.

We have been to restaurants together.

We have been to movies.

Everyone's, "Oh, she's such a pretty dog and what's her name?"

And it helps me start to get back into being comfortable with the public again and talking to people.

Even when I don't even realize I'm starting to get nervous, she'll catch it.

She's right there and leaning into me, putting her head in my hand, letting me know, "It's okay, I'm here for you."

In the morning when she is very cuddly after she's played with her ball and ate her breakfast, that's my best part of my day.

Just sitting and pettin and my dog and having her love on me as much as I love on her.

She would go on getting belly rubs for hours.

(laughs) And then when you stopped, she looks at you.

"What did you do?

Why'd you stop?"

- The reason why we're standing on this land is that the demand for the dogs is so great that a single campus in Florida for rescue, raising, and training dogs isn't sufficient.

We need to double the capacity.

And we are standing in Washington County, right over the border of Allegheny County.

It's an ideal location for the second campus that will have approximately 80 dogs that are being raised and trained at any given time.

If everything works well, we'll be breaking ground in the early part of 2022 and completed in 2024.

And what we really need is a better legislation at the federal level, so that service dogs are uniformly accepted and understood legally throughout our country.

And not a hodgepodge of state to state.

- Good boy!

Way, wait!

(slow inspiring music) Good boy!

Good boy!

Come on, up!

There you go.

Sit!

Good boy!

Watch me.

Go watch over there.

He'll do anything for you to make you happy.

Rooney has he's given me the confidence to go out.

He's given me a new normal.

(water flowing) - Well, there's lots of different ways to support the veterans and the service dogs.

(dog drinking) Just knowing the rules of engagement with service dogs, that they are considered a medical device, not just a pet and they have a job to do.

And without them, a lot of us veterans can't function properly.

She is my lifesaver.

She's my rock star.

She's my everything.

Without her, my life is very bland.

And because of her, I don't have to be isolated anymore.

And it's just, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

(chuckles) (slow inspiring music) (feet rustling) (dog drinking) (dog panting) (slow inspiring music)