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From left, American Legion Commander Justin Adair, Rodger Rundenza, Beth Roberts with Bristow Barnyard Animal Rescue and American Legion Auxiliary Vice President Pam Tepstein. Front row, Sampson. Stephanie Summers photo
An Army veteran who was stationed in Afghanistan, Rodger Rundenza, was looking for a service dog for his TBI and PTSD but had not been able to find one. Rundenzais is the grandson-in-law of Juanita Stark, who is part of the American Legion Auxiliary. The American Legion and the Auxiliary got together with Bristow Barnyard Animal Rescue’s, Beth Roberts, to find a dog that could be trained as a service animal. They were in luck, Roberts had a Border Collie mix that was about a year old named Sampson. He would be a perfect candidate for a service dog.
The Auxiliary's Vice President, Pam Tepstein, got in contact with VERSA K9 for Vets. They train dogs to become service animals for military veterans. When they heard about Rundenza’s need, they decided to do their training services for Sampson and Rundenza together, (usually between $10,000 to $20,000) for free. The American Legion and the Auxiliary is paying for Sampson’s adoption and neutering fees. The Commander of the American Legion, Justin Adair, said the American Legion helps out veterans whenever they can. They are hoping that this will be a start to help more veterans get service animals.
Rundenza has already fallen in love with Sampson and can’t wait to start their training together. He could not keep a smile off of his face as he thanked all the people that made this great gift possible for him.