Member Log In

Pets for Patriots

Companion pet adoption for United States military veterans and service members

  • Adopt a pet
    • How it works
    • Veteran benefits
    • Program availability
    • Proof of service
    • Eligible pets
    • Pre-qual application
  • Be a veterinary partner
    • How it works
    • Benefits
    • Criteria & eligibility
    • Application
  • Be a shelter partner
    • How it works
    • Benefits
    • Eligible pets
    • Criteria & eligibility
    • Application
  • Donate Now
    • Donate online
    • Ways to give
    • Spread the word
  • More
    • About us
      • Vision
      • Mission
      • Our team
      • Board of Directors
      • Financial accountability
      • Year in review
      • Program availability
    • Making an impact
      • Forget Me Not
      • The Wet Nose Blog
      • Partner News
      • Donor News
      • Home at last
      • Welcome Home
      • Hotel to Home
    • Friends & Partners
      • Veterinarian partners
      • Shelter partners
      • Sponsors
      • Banfield
      • VIP Petcare
      • Community partners
    • Resources
      • Donor FAQ
      • Veteran FAQ
      • Shelter FAQ
      • Veterinarian FAQ
      • Other resources
    • Connect with us
      • In the news
      • Free wallpaper
      • Contact us
Wet Nose Blog
Home › Dog tales › Marine Corps family gives fairytale life to dog in need

Marine Corps family gives fairytale life to dog in need

May 30, 2016Dog tales

Relli and her Marine Corps family

There are seven members in Caleigh’s Marine Corps family, including a hard-luck shelter dog who escaped a life of abuse and now lives a fairytale life.

“We are a family of seven,” she says. “My husband Chuck and I, our two sons Jameson and Jaxon, and our three rescue dogs Cadence, Relli and Big Boom.”

Relli and her Marine Corps family
Photo: Morgan Kinzel Photography

Caleigh serves in the Marine Corps Reserves and, like all military spouses, works hard to keep her family together when her husband is deployed. When she joined Pets for Patriots in 2012 Chuck was on his fourth combat tour to Afghanistan, and she decided to add another rescue dog to her pack.

“We wanted to adopt a dog companion for our dog Cadence,” she recalls, “so we started looking at the rescue group Paws and Prayers in Akron, Ohio and saw the Pets for Patriots symbol that was listed on some of the dogs that were available for adoption.”

Our charity provides various free tools for shelter and rescue partners to promote program-eligible pets in their care, including digital badges that let visitors know a dog or cat is available through our partnership. Paws and Prayers put those tools to good use to increase the visibility of the most overlooked dogs awaiting adoption in their network of foster homes.

The Marine Corps Reservist admits that, at the time, she had not heard of Pets for Patriots.

“I looked more into the cause,” she says, “and it seemed like such a no-brainer for us: rescue the dogs that need us the most.”

Hard-luck life turned fairytale for Cinderella

It was 2012 and Cinderella was a then six year-old dog and victim of prior abuse. The dog had been repeatedly beaten and, even in the years since her adoption, occasionally reveals that her past is never completely behind her.

Relli and her Marine Corps family
Photo: Morgan Kinzel Photography

“She grew to trust us,” Caleigh shares, noting that although “she still has her moments when she shows you her past, she is honestly an amazing dog with an amazing heart.”

Like many animals who endured horrific abuse, Cinderella, mostly known as Relli, shows an incredibly capacity to love. It is this irrepressible spirit that Caleigh and her Marine Corps family find so endearing.

“From what I know of her past she should have no reason to trust or love a human again, but she does. She truly has a heart of gold,” she says. “She just wants to be around us and cuddle and steal every bit of love that we have to give.”

Rescue dogs in Marine Corps family ‘make the day better’

For now, Caleigh is content to have three rescue dogs as part of her very active household.

“There is no better feeling than coming home after a long day and, as soon as you open the door, there are 12 paws and three wiggly tails running for you because they are so excited to see you,” she shares. “They make the day better, whether it is just a lazy dog snuggled up on the couch or a nice long walk.”

And companion pets are good for military children as well. They offer nonjudgemental friendship for these children who experience the unique challenges of military life – including having a parent deploy – yet may not have the skills to cope.

Relli seems particularly tuned into her human brothers, even taking part in some of their daily routines.

Relli and her Marine Corps family

“I love when it’s nap time for our boys and it’s her favorite part of the day,” Caleigh says. “She follows the boys right up to their room and snuggles with them until they wake up.”

And they all lived happily ever after

Although Relli’s first several years of life were marked by abuse, the once hard-luck dog is now like a character in a fairytale. She has not one, but two Marine Corps parents, an equal number of adoring little brothers and two other dogs who – like Relli – know what it is like to be saved.

Most of all, she has the undying love of her Marine Corps family.

“What’s not to love about her?” Caleigh asks, rhetorically. “She is such a good girl, and she loves her family. No matter what you’re doing she just wants to be near you.”

PreviousNext

One Comment

  1. Phil Ernst says:
    December 20, 2016 at 10:12 am

    Semper Fi to both of you ‘leathernecks’ and God Bless the whole family! Thank you both for your service to our country! What an AWESOME family!!

    A fellow leatherneck! Phil, aka Pap

Comments are closed.

Join the Conversation

  • Cat tales
  • Dog tales
  • Hope for a home
  • Mental health
  • Extra
  • Pet training & health
  • Donor News


Give with Confidence

logo logo logo logo
Make a donation today
email-icon

Did you enjoy this story?
Don’t miss the next one.

Sign up for our newsletter and get stories like these directly in your inbox.


The Dodo and GEICO honor Pets for Patriots adoptions by sharing their heartwarming tales

WATCH THE VIDEOS

Petco Foundation

PetMeds Logo 300x250

Shop 1800PetMeds for all of your pet’s health needs and we’ll get 10% of your purchase!

Shop Bissell Today!

Shop BISSELL for your home cleaning needs and they will donate 10% of your purchase to us!

Join the Conversation

Stay Connected

Join the conversation, read recent adoption stories, view featured pets needing new homes and more.

Twitter

@petsforpatriots

Follow Us

Instagram

@petsforpatriots

Puppy mills are places of unspeakable cruelty. The Puppy mills are places of unspeakable cruelty. They exist solely because of greed and a callous disregard for the lives of animals.

Thanks to @bissellpets for sharing this informative graphic on how to spot a likely puppy mill. Please share in kind and - needless to say - always adopt, don't shop!

#adoptdontshop #endpuppymills #animalcruelty #animalcrueltyawareness #adoptionistheonlyoption #adoptashelterdog #adoptasheltercat #adoptashelterpet #rescueismyfavoritebreed
Maisie, Hawk, Mosley, Betty White, Annie, Sammy, T Maisie, Hawk, Mosley, Betty White, Annie, Sammy, Talahassee, Juju, Corn, and Pierogi - just some of the long term pets waiting way too long for a hero and a home. Meet all of our Forget Me Not pets and contact the shelters directly to inquire about adoption. Many are available for out-of-state placements; all are amazing creatures in desperate need of a loving home and all deserve no less.

Can't adopt? Share til it hurts!!

Click the link in our bio to meet them all.

#forgetmenot #weratedogs #weratecats #adoptdontshop #adoptashelterpet #adoptashelterdog #adoptasheltercat #cutedogs #cutedogsofinstagram #cutecats
Meet our recent "K" adopters, m'kay? * Kricket is Meet our recent "K" adopters, m'kay?

* Kricket is retired Navy and recently visited our partners @kitsaphumanesociety where she adopted not one, not two, but THREE petite pups! Reina pictured here is @petsforpatriots eligible, as is Remy (not pictured). But Kricket wasn't done saving lives because she threw yet another lifeline to Dior to round out her perfect petite pupper family! Thanks to @kitsaphumanesociety for giving our veterans 50% off adoption fees...anchors aweigh! 

* Konner served in the Air Force and together with his beautiful partner welcomed 4 year-old Hammer into their home. Formerly named Lucretia, Hammer is a beneficiary of our hero fund for veterinary care to help with the initial costs of prescriptions to ease pain from patellar luxation (a fancy way of saying: knee problems)! Another great fee-waived adoption through @dekalbanimals - part of the trio of @lifelineanimal shelters that participate in our program. 

Every animal saved from a shelter makes room for another animal in need to be rescued. It's estimated that only 25% of dogs and 29% of cats are adopted through shelters, numbers that are frankly pathetic. Please continue to advocate for adoption as the only option!

#adoptdontshop #adoptdontbuy #adoptashelterpet #adoptashelterdog #pitbulllove #loveabully #dontbullymybreed #cutepup #weratedogs #navyveteran #navy #airforceveteran #airforce #usaf #femaleveteran
The impacts of serving in the Gulf War left John w The impacts of serving in the Gulf War left John with crippling, severe anxiety. A spirited hound who needed a home would be just what the Army veteran needed to regain his life.

Click the link in our bio to read their tale, and thanks once again to @bmorehumane for another lifesaving match!

#army #armyveteran #milspouse #militaryspouse #ptsd #ptsdrecovery #ptsdawareness #anxiety #anxietyawareness #gulfwar #gulfwarveteran #petsforvets #houndsofinstagram #cutedogs #weratedogs #yourarenotalone
Clark retired from the Marines after more than 20 Clark retired from the Marines after more than 20 years of service to our nation. And in 2012 he was one of our early adopters - literally and figuratively - when he rescued then 2 year-old Ellie.

Ellie is now 13 and the pint-sized pup is still living large with Clark and his family, who recently gave us this heartfelt shoutout:

"Wanted to thank you for the many years of support your team has provided! It has helped out immensely over the years! Thank you all for what you have done and for what you continue to do."

Sounds like a mission accomplished to us!

Thanks to our partners @ranchocoastal - one of our earliest shelter partners - for this enduring match, and for continuing to waive adoption fees for veterans in our program.

#gotchadayanniversary #adoptdontshop #adoptashelterdog #adoptashelterpet #militaryfamily #usmcveteran #usmc #marinecorps #usmarines #usmarinecorps #petsforvets
Ahoy, mate! Noah retired from the Navy and just th Ahoy, mate! Noah retired from the Navy and just threw a lifeline to Kali, a stunning Cane Corso mix. This big, beautiful girl was in the care of our partners @norfolkanimals which gives veterans we serve 50% off adoption fees.

Click to the next photo to see their freedom ride pic!

#canecorsoofinstagram #canecorso #bigdogs #bigdogsofinstagram #bigdogstrong #adoptdontshop #adoptashelterpet #adoptashelterdog #weratedogs #navyveteran #navy #usn #usnavy #norfolkva
CJ is a disabled Marine veteran who finds joy in t CJ is a disabled Marine veteran who finds joy in the simple pleasures of life, including the addition of an older cat who joined her after the loss of a beloved pet.

Click the link in our bio to read their tale!

Thanks @sdhumanesociety for helping us make this purr-fect story possible and for waiving adoption fees for veterans in our program. ❤️

#sdhumanesociety #femaleveteran #usmcveteran #usmc #marinecorps #cats_of_instagram #cutecat #cutecats #cutecatsofinstagram #nalacat #adoptasheltercat #adoptaseniorpet #oldcatsofinstagram #oldcats #twoisbetterthanone
You know it's love when your new Marine Corps dad You know it's love when your new Marine Corps dad gives up his armchair for you. ❤️

Congratulations to nearly 9 year-old Holly Belle who's already made herself at home. She met Chuck through our partners @fredspca - which waives adoption fees for veterans we serve...oorah!

#olddogsrule #seniordogsofinstagram #adoptaseniordog #adoptaseniorpet #olddogsofinstagram #cutedogs #weratedogs #usmcveteran #usmc #marinecorps #iserved #iadopted #petsforvets
Wishing all of our Jewish friends around the world Wishing all of our Jewish friends around the world a sweet New Year, especially the men and women of the U.S. military who serve in all corners of the world in defense of our freedoms, including the freedom to practice (or not) the faith of our choosing.

L'shana tovah!

#lshanatova #lshanahtovah #roshhashana #roshhashanah #happynewyear #jewishnewyear #freedom #freedomofreligion #sweetnewyear
Follow Us

© 2023 Pets for Patriots, Inc. | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Contact us

email-icon

Let’s keep in touch.

Sign up for our newsletter to get recent adoption stories, featured pets needing new homes and more directly in your inbox.

email-icon

Let’s keep in touch.

Sign up for our newsletter to get recent adoption stories, featured pets needing new homes and more directly in your inbox.

email-icon

Let’s keep in touch.

Sign up for our newsletter to get recent adoption stories, featured pets needing new homes and more directly in your inbox.