All around the country, “The Three Amigos” are saving animals’ lives and assisting veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Watch the video below below to hear the war hero describe his unique assignment.
Something was off when Marine Matt Perella got back from his tour of duty. He was dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder and had periods where he just didn’t feel like living.
Lucky for him, he was accompanied by his trusty service dog Raffe, who came to the re.scue.
Perella told WLWT, “I couldn’t believe that I got to such a position in my mind.” As he was preparing to end his life, his dog “came by and leaped on top of me and he would not let me up, and he did that two times,” he explained.
Realizing he had arrived at that moment, Perella resolved to do something about it. He was resolved to not only get therapy for his PTSD, but to aid other veterans as well.
On a daily basis, 22 veterans take their own life, and Perella has made it his mission to alter that.
In order to collect money for a ranch that will provide free access to assistance dogs, therapy horses, and veterans, the man set out across the country with his dog and horse, Dollar
My goal is to create The Righteous Life Rescue Ranch, a sanctuary for rescued horses and dogs on death row. According to the GoFundMe website he set up for the cause, Perella plans to “give rigorous training for canines with aggression problems so that they can be donated to Veterans with PTSD as companion dogs.”
According to Perella’s interview with FOX 19, “the more area the ranch has, the more horses [the ranch] can house, and even more retreats may be hosted at once.” “We want this to be the best, most relaxing place in the world for our service members and their families to spend time together at no cost,” says the ranch’s website.
As daunting as Perella’s goal and mission may seem, he is well positioned to realize his vision and transform the ranch into a haven for all veterans struggling to readjust to civilian life after serving their country.