Rescued dogs facing legal limbo now helping veterans

GODFREY, Ill. – Hope Animal Rescues in Godfrey, Illinois, is known for rescuing dogs that have been abused or neglected. Jackie Spiker, the nonprofit’s co-founder, said without their intervention, in many cases, dogs would be euthanized.

“They’ll leave this world not knowing a kind hand,” she said.

She was part of a match-making effort that connected four rescue dogs with K9s on the Front Line, a nonprofit helping veterans and first responders heal with help from service dogs. Two of the dogs were seized by federal agents following a dog-fighting bust.

Hope Rescues board member Jamie Buehrle recently built a facility for dogs caught up in legal cases. She said the space gives dogs, often considered bully breeds, a place to decompress and, through enrichment, discover their true personality.

She also credited Angels for the Underdogs for helping dogs in legal limbo. Buehrle was in Godfrey on Thursday to witness two rescued dogs heading to Jefferson City with K9s on the Front Line.

“What an amazing story, coming from a fight bust cruelty case to now becoming a service dog for people who have served our country,” she said.

Jason Howe, executive director of K9s on the Front Line, turned to a service dog to manage his PTSD and improve his life.

“I was sticking needles in my arm,” he said.

Howe, a combat veteran, has struggled with night terrors and PTSD, but his service dog has been a lifeline.

“They look at you as though you’re their battle buddy, and having a battle buddy in the military will save your life, just like having a battle buddy here now saves our lives,” he said.

Spiker believes the connections also send a powerful message about the dogs she helps rescue.

“Just like a lot of people, the trauma of our past doesn’t always determine our future.”