Archie is a traumatized dog given a second chance at life. He was adopted by Casey, a retired Army veteran with more than 20 years of service during times of war and of peace.

Casey retired as staff sergeant from the Army National Guard after having served in Iraq, Kuwait, and other conflict regions around the world.

In December 2024 Casey and Archie were adopted through our partners SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals.

This story is told in Casey’s own words, with only minor edits for legibility. It is one of mutual trauma, acceptance, and redemption.

Integration

I don’t want to pull any punches about Archie’s story, it’s not a puff piece.

From the get go Archie’s integration was hard and difficult. This scared 20-pound Chihuahua, Terrier, Australian Shepherd, Cattle Dog, kitchen sink mix came to us very raw, untrained, and what many would deem aggressive.

The good part was that he was very happy to be in a new setting and in a home again instead of a shelter.

He was really happy with his new friend Fry—my other dog—who he identified as the owner of the house. He also woke up in the morning very happy to see us and be here, that much was very obvious that he liked his new home.

The bad part was that Archie was still extremely anxious, and in a state of constant fight or flight. As in the back of his mind he couldn’t forget that he had to be on guard against ‘something.’ He was keyed up constantly.

This presented its own unique set of challenges for his integration. We needed to start training immediately and set some boundaries, which we did, but progress was slow and difficult.

The scars

The numerous scars all over the top of his head were clear signs of a history of abuse.

The scar that goes all around his neck made it obvious he was tied up with a string or rope that was too tight [and] that cut deeply into his skin.

It’s possible he was dragged around by his neck, by whatever was attached to him, which caused an open wound that was never treated properly.

[Download our flyer on the 11 signs of animal cruelty and how you can help]

The trauma

If we would hold anything longer than three to four inches long in our hand—a cooking utensil, a remote control, even a pencil—he would cower and run into the next room.

These were clear indicators that he was beaten with an object of some sort.

When closing your hand in front of him, the sight of making what appeared to be a fist terrified him as well, which indicated that someone hit [or] punched him with a closed fist at some point.

It’s not good for me to think about the extent of the abuse he endured by whatever scumbag(s) responsible as it takes me to a violent, dark place in my head.

Instead, I had to learn that my efforts are far better focused on Archie’s transition and helping him along his integration to normalcy.

Foster incident

We originally fostered Archie to ensure that he was a good fit.

During this time we realized that he seemed to be dialed in on kids or younger people. I can only assume that a group of kids had beaten him [or] hurt him at some point, as he would bark uncontrollably at them.

During a regular walk he escaped his harness and ran off into the neighborhood.

I could only think, ‘Oh I’m f****d,’ since he was still a foster and not even our dog yet. He was also very keyed up about strangers, so I didn’t know who or what he was going to encounter and what would happen as a result.

I chased him through the neighborhood like a madman saying and shouting anything that would get his attention or make him come back—’Stop! Sit! No! Stay!’

We trespassed through four or five properties until he finally stopped, and took up a defensive position with his back to a fence. He was growling, worried he was going to be struck, beat, or whatever because he did something wrong.

I came over, squatted down, and assured him he was ok, said ‘Shhhh’ a bunch of times, like trying to comfort a kid that just hurt himself or fell out of a tree. He seemed really thankful that I didn’t hurt him. He winced a bunch of times as I went to pet him and calm him down. I got harness back on and we went home.

I think this was our first bonding moment where change started to happen.

[Learn about pet fostering]

The big bite incident

The next big incident occurred when Archie discovered a chicken bone, ribs with meat, in my parents’ yard. This was before he had any training with the command ‘drop it.’

Once again, he was still very raw at this point, still in fight or flight mode and food aggressive. He’d obviously had to fight for everything he got in his past life.

I’m not against a dog having a bone, but with this chicken bone he could have easily started to choke as there were tiny bones in this particular piece, and he’s dead set on keeping it at this point as he considers it a high value item. After not being able to get him to part with it, it was time to put on safety gloves and get it out of his mouth.

During the struggle my thumb got bit hard. Even through the glove it was an amazing amount of pain.

This right here was a pivotal moment.

Something inside of me stirred quick and fast, taking me to that dark place I mentioned before. My anger rose, my heart rate increased, I could now feel myself going into fight or flight mode, and I was ready for a full-on fight.

But I stopped.

I realized that this little 20-pound dog, who for most of his life was hurt, scared, beaten, and traumatized was in a lot of ways a reflection of myself.

When I looked into his now crazed, huge black eyes during the struggle, for a second I saw myself, fighting to get out of the all situations I was in before where I was feeling out of control, frenzied, angry, scared.

I knew I had to show this dog that no matter what, even if he did something really bad to me, that I wasn’t going to hurt him like he was before.

[If you are or know a veteran in crisis, contact the Veterans Crisis Line for free, 24/7 confidential support]

Once I got the chicken bone, I put him in the kennel that my parents have for our other dog. He sat there, growling—he does this when he’s upset with himself or the situation. After a while I let him out, and gave him comfort even though I was still visibly upset.

The tone had changed and he could tell, I kept saying to him, ‘I dunno, buddy. I dunno if this is going to work. You can’t do that, that was really, really bad.’

I actually didn’t know if this was going to work at that time, in all honesty. And I think in his heart of hearts he knew that he messed up. I think he knew he messed up real bad and that he was genuinely sorry.

I believe this is the day the change happened in him.

They say dogs can understand up to 200 words. Maybe something during the long ride home clicked because I think he realized that he couldn’t have it better, and that he shouldn’t mess it up, and the worst that’s going to happen with his new family is that he goes into the kennel for a time out.

After that, things got better.

The change

The freak-outs at other dogs and people got better on our walks. He’s at the point now where there’s only one specific dog he barks at, but that dog starts it every time.

He still gets keyed up and thinks he needs to do something, but he pulls it together. Sometimes he needs a gentle reminder.

He’s not growling at people anymore in a way where they are fearful of him, he’s now more curious and interested in meeting the people in his neighborhood and the folks we stop and talk to.

He used to bark uncontrollably when looking out the window at things going by.

Sometimes he still does, but it’s one bark then a low grumbling growl to let us know something is happening or someone is here. It’s not a panicked response. It’s informative or excited when it’s my girlfriend or parents coming by.

When we hold out our hands to hug him or pet him he doesn’t wince anymore. He used to get upset with everyone at night when he’s curled up on the couch, and would grumble [or] growl if approached. This, too, has subsided. I think the change in Archie since the last big incident was that he started to feel safe.

And I think that’s all anyone ever wants—to have safety, and be with people around them that they care about.

The reality

Archie was abused and traumatized for most of his life—three years. He’s never going to be perfect, also no perfect dog exists.

In the short time that we’ve had him he’s made massive strides and changes. He went from a scared, keyed up fighter who had no semblance of calm, to a loving loyal companion that enjoys being wrapped up in a blanket between your legs. He’s my best buddy, and I can’t imagine being without him.

Everyday he gets a little bit better, a little bit calmer—which reminds me I need to do the same.

A very special thanks

Only by a gentle hand and constant excellent support from Pets for Patriots could we have gotten him to where he is today.

Pets for Patriots covered the adoption fees entirely for Archie.* They also offered training, gift cards, and had regular check-ins, which all helped support Archie’s transition and took the load off of us financially.

Being a veteran who’s been through the ringer I was very skeptical at first as there are so many veterans’ organizations that say they will do a thing, and then not provide any actual support or help.

Pets for Patriots is that rare one that actually does what they say, and they will work to help you get your adoption secured.

I personally can’t thank them enough, and I hope my story helps them to help other veterans.

*Our shelter partner SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals waives adoption fees for veterans and Gold Star spouses in our program.

[Learn about our adoption programs for veterans and Gold Star spouses]