WAR DOGS CASE STUDIES

One of the first beneficiaries of our very exciting new program is retired MWD, Shadow. Shadow served with the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines, deploying to Sangin, Afghanistan in 2010. Shadow is charged with saving countless lives from the deadly threat of IEDs, which she was trained to detect.



Her adoptive owner and fellow former Marine, Tim Read, reached out to US War Dogs for help with costly diagnostic tests to determine the cause of Shadow’s severe breathing issues.

They may not have served together in combat, but Tim and Shadow have formed a bond like no other, during their retirement. Tim was seriously injured when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan in 2010, rendering him a double amputee.

Tim explains: “I met Shadow when a buddy of mine took me to 32nd Street Naval Base in San Diego to lift my spirits. Shadow was in the kennels and ran straight to me – it was love at first sight. My wife and I adopted her a few months later. She has become my therapy dog and is like a child to us.”

Thanks to help from US War Dogs, Shadow is undergoing radiation treatment at a veterinary hospital in Florida and continues to be the center of Tim’s world. US War Dogs president, Chris Willingham, said: “We are humbled that our organization has been able to act swiftly to support our veterans – both K-9 and human – in this way and look forward to continuing to offer swift and decisive action to help more K-9s with this vital program.”