Richard is a true hero. After serving in the Cold War and returning home, Richard was an EMT for many years. In 1995, the Oklahoma City Bombing occurred. Richard was asked to assist performing search and rescue and then later the emotional task of recovering the remains of the children in the daycare center.

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Richard lives alone and was in need of a loyal friend to keep him company and help keep Richard grounded. After Richard applied for a companion with Paws for Heroes, a perfect companion came along. It was in the form of a black Lab named Duke.

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Sitting in a kennel at a kill shelter outside of Houston, Duke was on the list to be put to be euthanized. Humans had failed Duke and he was alone. Luckily, Duke was rescued by a local Texas animal rescue group named Adore Houston. As Duke waited to be adopted, little did anyone know the life that Duke would have in store for him.

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Paws for Heroes evaluated Duke and accepted him into their program. Duke was fostered by a wonderful family in Pearland and then completed the Paws for Heroes Boot Camp training program. At last: Duke was on his way to go to his forever home and Richard received the well trained and emotional support animal that he truly deserved.

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It is incredible to see the joy that this death row dog turned Battle Buddy has brought to Richard’s life. After we placed Duke with Richard, Richard told us that sleeping through the night was something that he wasn’t able to do for years. Now that he has Duke, Richard says he now sleeps 8 hours a night because Duke is there with him.