South Bay nonprofit puts animals and vets together for mutual therapy
MORGAN HILL -- A nonprofit organization pairs service animals with veterans so they can both get to a better place together.
Wiley's Wish Animal Rescue has a unique mission to not only save animals in need of a second chance, but also support service men and women suffering from the challenges that often come during their transition to civilian life.
"I would be dead if it weren't for my horses and my dogs, honestly," said Samantha Brinegar with Wiley's Wish. "When you struggle with depression and you struggle with that PTSD, you have to find that freedom."
Brinegar is an army veteran who says she was suicidal after finishing her military service. She felt like a part of her identity was missing and she needed a new purpose. Working with animals and getting them to a place where they help other veterans has put her on a healthier path.
"It gives me a reason to get up every morning and do something," she told KPIX 5. "When you rescue a dog, they have a loyalty to you that you're never going to break."
Wiley's Wish works with dogs as well as animals offering equine therapy, which includes horses, miniatures, and donkeys. Brinegar trains dogs while they work with veterans who are incarcerated. Service animals completing the training can be adopted by veterans and first responders.
"It changes your life, it changes your perspective on things because of their kindness that they let it all go and start again," said Alex Martinez, the director of Fairytale Farm, another nonprofit working with animals that partners with Wiley's Wish. "It's something I could do more, they will let everything else go."
The animals they rehabilitate often come from difficult situations where they suffered an unknown trauma. In other cases, their previous owner can no longer treat them, and they may be on an auction pipeline where they will eventually slaughtered outside of the country. By getting them healthy, they can find a new forever home and offer a form of unique therapy for veterans and first responders.
"It can be quite difficult because truthfully the service doesn't train you to be civilians," said Charlie Schmidt, a navy veteran who was paired with a dog from Wiley's Wish. "She's been an intricate part of my life for the past couple of months."
Schmidt says he struggled to sleep at night, the consequences of several deployments during his military service. He would wake up not knowing where he was while in bed. His dog Bella was an instant match, she became fond of him immediately. Up until then, she did not do well around men and likely suffered some sort of trauma the team at Wiley's Wish never learned. They saved her from a high kill shelter, Schmidt met her the day she was scheduled to be put down. Bella has been training to lay on someone's chest to help veterans like Schmidt sleep better. He's working with her as she becomes a service animal, and will eventually adopt her.
"When you sit on top a horse, a horse can actually change their heartbeat to match a human's heartbeat," Brinegar said. "When you have that connection with that horse, it helps settles you."
She also struggled with sleeping at night and found comfort in the animals she works with each week. Brinegar now has her own dog but a horse she introduces to other veterans and first responders to let them experience equine therapy.
"They depend on us, they need us, just like we need them," she said. "They just want to be loved and they want us to love them and they want to love us back."
Wiley's Wish and Fairytale Farm are hosting a Dinner In The Barn on December 4th to raise money for both nonprofits. More information is available on their Facebook pages or by visiting: www.eventcreate.com/e/dinnerinthebarn.
