Patriot story: Kip + Tali (Beth will write)

Adoption date: January 2021 Pet details: Four year-old GSD with flea allergy dermatitis. Chronic otitis (ear infections). Branch of service: Air Force National Guard Location: Indiana Shelter and link to webpage: Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control: https://petsforpatriots.org/partners/city-of-fort-wayne-animal-care-control/  

Pet's name
	Talitha (Tali)
A little about me
	I am a retired Computer Support technician/supervisor living in Fort Wayne, IN that enjoys historical reenacting and running his own hand tool woodworking/furniture repair shop. My loving wife and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary.
My military experiences
	I enlisted in the Air Force in 1982 as a Nuclear Security Specialist. In '88 I cross trained into Computer Operations. The Force Reduction of '94 offered me an opportunity to sample civilian life until 2003 when I tried an enlistment in the Army National Guard. One enlistment was enough to convince me that I'm not Army green, I'm AF blue and I transferred to the Air National Guard. Retirement came in January of 2018, ending a 27 year career that spanned almost 4 decades. Besides Indiana, my military assignments have included: North Dakota, Turkey, Florida, Arizona (x4), Colorado (x2), Alaska, Mississippi, and upstate New York.
My most memorable experience from my time in service
	During my last enlistment ceremony, my commander called me to attention, asked me to raise my right hand and repeat. He started with, "I, state your name" and those were the last words he said until I got to, "so help me God." His response was, "You've done this before, haven't you?"
Why I chose to adopt a pet
	My family has always included a dog or two. Except for times when regulations forbade it, there has been a dog in my life. It has always been a given with me that a home is incomplete without a dog.
Why I chose to adopt through Pets for Patriots
	My wife found Pets for Patriots (P4P) 10 years ago when we decided that we had been without a dog long enough. She was between jobs at that point and any help we could get with the adoption process was most welcome. We ended up adopting Ceilidh (see my previous story) and enjoyed her company for 8 years. Her untimely death 18 months ago broke our hearts.
How my adopted pet has changed my life
	It is delightful to have a companion in my wood shop. It allows me the opportunity to take play and walk breaks. Tali is also a very good foot warmer.
What I love most about my new pet friend
	It is said that a dog is the only example of unconditional love that you can buy. She likes to cuddle, play, go for walks, but, most importantly, Tali is smart! She can get rowdy and rambunctious but instantly calms down when we make shushing sounds.
What I would tell other veterans who might be thinking about adopting through Pets for Patriots
	DO IT! You would be hard pressed to find a more helpful and compassionate partner in your search for a companion pet.

2/10/21 After taking some time to move past the debacle with Zoe, Kathleen & I were ready to find a new furry friend. It took a massive amount of time searching web sites and several visits to shelters but we found her and she found us. Her name is Talitha (Tali, for short) which is Greek for "little girl". She was picked up as a stray right after the new year and she weighed 30 pounds. She also had hook worms, an ear infection, fleas, and a skin rash. The shelter, Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control (FWACC) was able to spay her, get her started on a weight gain program, and begin to treat the medical issues. The staff at FWACC kept telling us about her special needs but we adopted her anyway on January 29th. We told the staff that we would like to work with Pets For Patriots and we were told that Tali was a sponsored adoption meaning that all of her adoption expenses had already been paid for. She has adapted quite well to our home. As you can see in the pictures, she seems quite happy and we're happy to have her. Kip Lytle