A dog who arrived at Shawnee Animal Services unresponsive, overheated and covered in fleas has a permanent home with Marine veteran Brandon Quinnelly.
According to People, staff contacted Best Friends Animal Society, which arranged treatment at its Pet Resource Center in Bentonville, Arkansas. Shawnee's only animal services officer took a day off for the seven-hour round trip.
What Shawnee Found
Ares came in with a dangerously high temperature, fleas, cuts and abrasions on his face, and severe swelling in one front leg. Shawnee Animal Services did not have the resources to cover everything he needed.
The Bentonville handoff was the workaround. One officer, one day off, a drive measured in hours rather than a trip across town. Ares' photo later appeared online.
The Veteran Who Lost Achilles
Quinnelly served in the Marines from 2001 until a medical retirement in 2010 for chronic PTSD, six deployments in all. For 14 years he relied on his service dog, Achilles, to help manage that condition. Then he lost him.
He noticed Ares' photo online and asked for a meeting. Best Friends said the two connected immediately, and Quinnelly adopted him the same day.
Training Started the Next Day
Training began the day after the adoption. Quinnelly's goal is to make Ares his new PTSD service dog. After settling into the house, the 68-pound dog had already made himself comfortable.
That is a start, not a finished credential. The account describes training he has begun, not a service dog who has completed the work.
What Researchers Have Measured
A Sept. 11 summary from VA News said results suggested service dogs can help regulate physical stress in veterans with PTSD and calm emotional distress. A nonrandomized controlled trial was published in JAMA Network Open.
Quinnelly's project sits outside both papers. He is training one shelter dog at home after a cross-border treatment run, not waiting on a study result.
A Longer Route in Granite
Oklahoma already runs a more formal version of this idea. At Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite, selected inmates train rescue dogs for veterans with PTSD through a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and K9s For Warriors, KSWO reported.
Those handlers spend several months socializing the dogs and teaching specialized tasks. K9s For Warriors specialists then continue the training before a match. The group has paired more than 1,000 veterans nationwide with service dogs.
Ares is on the shorter track. Quinnelly found a new partner after a loss. A Shawnee officer's day off got him to Bentonville. Whether he becomes the PTSD service dog Quinnelly is training him to be is still in front of them.
