This dog was once abused, but now he’s giving strength to children who have been in tough situations.
Patriot the husky had a rough early life until he was adopted by Kevin Marlin. After working with Marlin to recover, both physically and emotionally, he is giving back to the community while putting his talents to good use.
Now, Patriot is a working pooch who helps comfort children testifying against those who have mentally, physically, or sexually abused them. He is part of a program called PANDA, PAWS Assist the Needs of the District Attorney, that is part of the Orange County SPCA, and he loves his job.
Life wasn’t always filled with affection for Patriot.
Marlin noticed the signs of abuse on the dog soon after adopting him. According to an interview Marlin did with People, he and his wife, Misty, adopted Patriot in 2012 when he was just 4 months old.
Talking to the Dodo, Marlin explained that at first:
“Emotionally, he seemed understandably withdrawn and reclusive, but not at all aggressive.”
They quickly noticed extensive injuries on his mouth. Once they brought Patriot to an animal hospital, the vet had to shave the husky’s muzzle to discover the problem. He determined the wounds found there were from metal wire that had been tightly wrapped around the snout.
Marlin explained to People that:
“Somebody had wrapped it tightly to keep it shut – I’ve struggled to understand why anyone could be so cruel.”
Lucky for Patriot, his adoptive parents were much nicer than his previous humans. They were with him during every step on his road to recovery.
“Patriot needed several surgeries to help repair the damage. We also learned that his tongue had been severed about three-quarters of an inch.”
In addition to the surgeries, Marlin and his wife had to work hard to heal Patriot’s emotional wounds. At first, the husky was understandably uncomfortable with people touching his muzzle or anywhere close to the injuries.
With plenty of patience and some help from peanut butter, Marlin worked on this. He would coat his fingers in the treat and let Patriot lick it off to increase his comfort level. Eventually, he started to enjoy being pet. In less than a year, he was comfortable wearing a collar again.
In March 2016, the Orange County district attorney realized that therapy dogs could help abused children in court, and Patriot got a new job.
Marlin immediately knew that Patriot would be a perfect addition to the canine team. He even went so far to start the PANDA program mentioned above. Marlin was clearly correct in his assessment of Patriot’s skills. He explained in his interview that the kids “know that he’s been through a lot, just like they have.”
“Patriot shows that there is hope in moving on with life and getting past the emotional pain. Kids sit and pet him while they talk to attorneys and investigators and they immediately feel more comfortable. Reliving what happened to them is difficult, but he helps them to feel calm and gives them courage and strength.”
If you ask him, Marlin can tell you dozens of situations where Patriot made a big difference. He recounted one instance of a girl who “was visibly uncomfortable until Patriot came over and nudged her with his nose.” After this, the girl held him and cried. In fact, Patriot helped that girl so much that she “didn’t want to leave Patriot that day when she was finished.”
Patriot also regularly attends events hosted by the Orange County SPCA. He is the mascot, according to the rescue group’s Facebook page.
Patriot isn’t the only amazing dog working hard to help the children of Orange County.
There are 13 other therapy dogs in the PANDA program, each of which helps victims feel secure. Out of them, Patriot holds a special place in Marlin’s heart. He bragged on behalf of the husky to the Dodo that:
“He [Patriot] was one of the easier dogs I’ve ever trained for the program and surprisingly passed the evaluation at 1 year of age – something not many dogs in the program have done.”
We look forward to more dogs following in Patriot’s footsteps.
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source: People
