This browser does not support the Video element.
Shawn Dalton and Tango
MILWAUKEE -- Many of our brave men and women in the military come home with emotional and physical scars from deployment. Coping with civilian life can be difficult, but four-legged friends can make it easier.
A special new friendship began Wednesday, March 7. FOX6 was there as Shawn Dalton bonded with his new best friend, Tango.
"When we first met, he just kind of threw himself at me. I just knew," said Dalton.
Tango
Custom Canines
Dalton knew immediately that this was the right match. Tango was trained to meet Dalton's medical and emotional needs, through Custom Canines.
"Our organization raises, trains and places service dogs with people who have a variety of disabilities," said Nicole
Sixty percent of their wait list is made up of military veterans like Dalton -- many dealing with post-traumatic stress and other disabilities associated with their deployments.
Shawn Dalton
"They help them at nighttime and help wake them up from night terrors and flashbacks," said Nicole
The dogs help them cope.
"They're taught to come up and lean on them, come up on their lap, disrupt them from episodes of disassociation and isolation," said Nicole.
"I've been a hermit for the last several years. He's going to get me out normal again," said Dalton.
Tango
Shawn Dalton and Tango
Shawn Dalton and Tango
Sponsors American Warrior Initiative and Fairway Mortgage partnered with Custom Canines to present the dog to Dalton. In 2017, Custom Canines placed 12 dogs with military veterans, and there is a waiting list. Dalton had been on it since last year.