Dear Friends,

Last summer, Austin Dog Alliance created the Hounds for Heroes program, to help veterans dealing with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) regain their lives by providing them with service dogs. When you gave to Hounds for Heroes this year, you changed the lives of two veterans struggling with PTSD.

One of those men is Allen Grice. Allen served in Afghanistan, and his job as a combat engineer was to travel ahead of fighting units to find bombs and render them useless. Since coming home, he has suffered flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety attacks, flashes of anger, insomnia, depression, and severe drinking at times. He would like you to know what his service dog, "Piper," has meant to him.

"To say this special dog has helped me is an understatement. I don't think I'd be here if I didn't have Piper.  

"When I reached out to Debi. I was hurting. I was nervous in crowds and wary of people coming up behind me. It took a good amount of alcohol and a sleeping pill to get to sleep at night. I almost wanted to clock out; I was so tired of feeling this way.

"Piper's been my lifesaver. She does everything with me. She goes to class with me, to work with me. If I'm in a crowd and someone walks up behind me, she lets me know. If I'm having a bad dream at night, she licks my face to wake me up. If I'm stressed out in class taking a test, she knows and puts her head on my lap.

"Since I received Piper, I've quit drinking by myself and I haven't taken a single sleeping pill. She lies right next to me, and I fall asleep easily and don't worry about anything happening to me.

"With Piper, I can't just sit around the house like I used to saying, 'Poor pitiful me, I'm living with PTSD.' She forces me to get out, go to the park, and meet other people and other dog owners. I am more active and social. I'm just a happier person.

"I don't know if I release some kind of chemical when I'm nervous, but she picks up on it. Recently, I went to dinner with my dad and they sat us at the bar, next to the kitchen. All the people coming and going made me nervous, and Piper would not sit down. Dad asked, 'Why won't she sit down? Isn't she trained?' And I said, 'She is. She knows I don't want to sit here and she's saying we need to leave.' So we got a booth, and she went under the table and went to sleep.

"You can't put into words what this dog does for me. She's not just a pet; she's a service animal and my best friend, period.

"Austin Dog Alliance is a wonderful organization. What they do for others out the kindness of their hearts is amazing. I don't believe Piper would be the way she is if not for Tami Burton's training. (Editor Note:  Tami is a foster/trainer with Austin Dog Alliance) Piper was trained by the best. And when I met her son and her husband, they were such a loving family, I feel like some of that family love is part of why Piper is the way she is.

"There's a quote: 'You can't live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you.'

"Piper and the Austin Dog Alliance changed my life, my family's life and the lives of everyone around me. And I can never repay them." - Allen Grice

With your support, we were able to help Allen get his life back. And there are so many other service men and women just waiting for a special dog like Piper. Our goal is to place 15 service dogs in 2015.  To reach our goal, we need your support.  We need special families to foster the dogs and we need financial support to provide veterinarian care, food and training during the 6 months it takes to train the dogs.