Our Story

Not long ago, I encountered a U.S. military veteran and his doggle-wearing rescue dog. They are the inspiration to establish & launch this service for men and women veterans, our American Heroes.

In the post-pandemic world of travel, to avoid flight cancellations we had been experiencing, we thought, why not – let’s take a road trip to Florida and see the country. It was fantastic to get out on the open road, meet people, and see things you can’t while sitting in an airplane.

At one of our fuel stops returning home to Seattle, we were in Wyoming; the sun was shining SO very bright, and it was a beautiful day, the perfect temperature.

As I walked to the car, I noticed a hitchhiker and his dog sitting outside, resting against the building. The man was a U.S. military veteran, and his dog looked like a rescue - mixed short hair medium size breed. She was wearing a pair of DOGGLES (dog goggles) in the bright sunshine, which I thought was adorable. Suddenly, something came over me; I returned to the store to buy the pup a treat and get the man some cash.

During the brief encounter, he told me how his dog had to wear the doggles after she had gotten in a tussle with a moose up in Alaska, and they helped her eyes in the sunshine. He said they had hitchhiked from Alaska and were heading to Iowa so he could help his mother, who needed assistance. He confirmed he had served in the military; I'm not sure of his service details –because, at the time, I didn’t have a thought or care about his service details.

I then asked about approaching his dog; He said she was friendly, so it was safe for me to give her the treat. While I petted her, the man and I conversed, and I reached over to hand him some cash, less than $20.00. He thanked me for the money and for being nice to his dog; we smiled and waved, then wished each other safe travels.

As our car drove away from the station, I thought to myself - get a photo of him and his dog (we had been chronicling our trip), but as I hurriedly tried to grab my phone camera to snap a picture, we were already out of sight. Shrugging, I said out loud, ‘oh well.’

We sped 80+ MPH across the Wyoming interstate – I was growing more & more upset about missing the photo opportunity with the veteran and his pup and regretting that I didn't get more information from this traveling man.

To this day, they have stayed in my thoughts and heart.

Why did he have such an impact on me? I live in Seattle and am relatively immune to people hitchhiking or living in tents around the city, especially with pets/dogs. I certainly don’t know this man, but he must be decent since he loved his dog and mother, and it sure seems like a long hike from Alaska through Canada back into the U.S. and east to Iowa.

WOW – that man and his beloved dog must be so tired.

Months have passed since this encounter, and I can’t tell the story without crying. Writing this, I am bawling my eyes out. I still have so many questions. Did the veteran make it to his mother’s home? Is the cute dog wearing a yellow framed pair of Doggles still alive and safe with him? Why hitchhike? Why not take a bus, fly, or drive himself? Why, why, why??

Still, to this day, I sincerely am concerned for his safety and hope he has everything he needs to live comfortably and be happy. I respect what he had potentially done or was willing to do for the country we love.

Then I realized that for the first time -- I deeply cared about a veteran and how they were cared for.

I couldn't stop thinking about how as a U.S. military veteran, he was willing to lay his life on the line to keep me and every other American safe and maintain our freedoms. He and every other veteran deserve so much more and better from me and all of us. He shouldn’t be hitchhiking thousands of miles. Looking back on it now, I should have offered to safely drive him and his pup to his mother’s home.

This traveling-hitch hiking veteran and his adorable rescue doggie have touched my heart. In such a way, and for some unknown reason, it has now inspired me to do everything I can to help our heroes – the men and women who have the courage that I don’t have to enlist and serve and protect our democracy and freedoms.

I know for a fact that I could never do it. But someone has to do it, and our veterans did!

Let's work together to show them we appreciate them, and thank you for joining this effort!