A little about me Tell us a little about what you're doing now, e.g., city and/or state where you live, if you're working, retired, about your family life, hobbies, etc., or anything else you'd like to share.

When I retired from the Navy we were living in Hubert, NC just outside of Camp Lejeune. A couple of months after retiring Hurricane Florence flooded our house, thankfully we had evacuated. I stayed with my daughter at my parents house for a couple of months in Tampa, FL, while the wife went back to work at the hospital in NC. She was a cardiac rehab nurse manager for a small hospital in Jacksonville, NC. The original plan was for me to finish my degree in Fish and Wildlife management and figure out where we were going to move as a family as we never planned to stay in NC. That go expedited once the hurricane hit and the wife found a job as an assistant nurse manager at a big hospital in Nashville. So we moved here. After finishing my degree I found the job market in fish and wildlife to be to competitive so I got into healthcare facility management. That is what I currently do. I’m our free time, we enjoy going out on the boat, going for hikes and enjoying new foods.

My military experiences Brief overview of when/where you served, why you entered the military, your branch of service, role and any other details you'd like to share. Please be as specific as possible to help us avoid inaccuracies or errors.

Navy Machinist Mate Chief. 21 years from March 1997 to July 2018. Mostly as a steam plant operator. Making ships move through the water.

My most memorable experience from my time in service Tell us about at least one experience you had during your service that has stuck in your mind, and why. It could be something dramatic, humorous, meaningful; it's up to you.

The day I found out I finally made Chief Petty Officer after 16 years of service.

Why I chose to adopt a pet What made you decide that you wanted or needed a pet in your life?

Hairy kind of called out to us. We had just lost our dog Melona to spleen cancer in November of 2022. We had been told by a close friend that we would know if we were ready for another dog. Hairy has helped us heal from the loss of Melona. A dog we got while stationed in Guam. Still miss her!

Why I chose to adopt through Pets for Patriots How did you find out about our program? Why did you decide to adopt through us?

Nashville HumaneAssociation and the Facebook posting of his ad. The wife actually started the process and started asking me some odd questions before filling me in.

How my adopted pet has changed my life

As I stated previously he’s been great helping us get over Melona.

What I love most about my new pet friend

It’s amazing to have someone so excited to see you when you get home. Even if you were only gone for 5 minutes. There’s no love like a dogs love.

They were amazing through the whole process. Really supportive through the whole process. Also very responsive through email as well.