TIFTON — For some dog owners, “Man’s Best Friend” isn’t just a saying — it’s everything that their dog means to them and more.

Veterans like Jon Cassell know this all too well, finding comfort, stability, a lifelong companion, and a solution to the impacts their time in the military left on them through their service dogs.

After serving ten years in the Army and being deployed on five combat missions, Cassell found himself in a rut in his life. Having developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his time in service, he found what he could only describe as a “hole” had formed in his life, the free time he had between his work spent stuck inside his home for over 30 years.

“I laid on the couch most days all day, didn’t go anywhere, didn’t have the will or desire to be anywhere but my house, because that’s basically the only place I felt safe,” Cassell said.

Hoping to help him find a way out of that dark part of his life, Cassell’s wife got in contact K9s For Warriors, a shelter-to-service nonprofit that has worked to provide support to over 1,000 veterans through pairing them with a loving and attentive canine companion.

Though Cassell notes he was reluctant to even visit his closest K9s For Warriors facility, his decision to follow through would ultimately change his life; Cassell was paired up with his service dog Douglas, a lovable, playful, and caring pet that would become inseparable from him in the years to come.

Specially trained to identify his owner’s rising anxiety, Douglas has helped Cassell overcome his inability to leave his home by remaining a constant presence for him, always available when Cassell begins to grow overwhelmed to reassure him down from his panic.

Where he once struggled to even open the blinds in his own home, Cassell has since taken multiple trips to Disney World and has been able to regularly run errands, go on walks, and have general outings with Douglas by his side.

“Douglas and I, we’ve been together for about a year and a half, and it’s changed my life in a way that I never thought I’d get to see or hope to have,” Cassell said. “I’ve tried my best to put my hands around and grasp the difference in my life.”

Occasionally, a moment of reluctance or reservation has come over the veteran, but with Douglas at his side, it’s nothing he can’t handle.

Cassell was beyond grateful for what K9s For Warriors was able to do for him, praising the organization for their efforts to support veterans that were struggling with the lasting impacts of their time in service. Additionally, he implored those with loved ones who were veterans or were struggling with depression to reach out to and support them however they could, including by helping them get in contact with organizations that would help them like K9s For Warriors did for him.