Michael + Maverick

Michael’s path to Shelter to Soldier began long before his retirement. Over the course of a distinguished Naval career, he served as a Heavy Equipment Operator with the Naval Mobile Construction Battalions: the Seabees; deploying across the globe: Puerto Rico in 1984, Rota Spain in 1985, Guam in 1986, Cairo Egypt in 1987, Guam again in 1990, Rota Spain and Iraq in 1991, and Palau Micronesia in 1992. He held positions of significant leadership throughout, navigating the constant pressure of keeping people and missions moving forward in demanding environments.

The weight of those years didn’t fully surface until later in life. Michael was eventually diagnosed with service-connected PTS and has navigated deep feelings of self-worth and depression in the years since. He describes a quick temper that often spirals into depression and a sense of failure, and struggles with hypervigilance and discomfort in unpredictable or overstimulating environments. Despite those challenges, he has been committed to his mental health: attending weekly therapy and maintaining routines that bring him stability and joy. Few things recharge him like the outdoors; whether he’s overlanding or simply getting outside, time in nature is where Michael feels most at ease.

It was Michael’s family who first recognized the difference a dog could make in his life. His daughter, Samantha, and her husband, Steve, saw how their husky, Eska, had a way of bringing out the best in him, helping him feel calmer, more patient, and more present. They encouraged him to apply to Shelter to Soldier, a decision backed wholeheartedly by his wife, Traci, and daughter, Holly, whose unwavering support has been instrumental throughout his journey.

He was matched with Maverick, a goofy, lovable chocolate Lab whose adoption and training were generously sponsored by TCW Global, a proud Red Star Sponsor of Shelter to Soldier. Maverick came to us through our friends at Labs and More, having been found as a stray in El Centro before getting the second chance he deserved. The two are a natural fit; Maverick’s easygoing nature is a perfect complement to the steadiness Michael is working to build in his own life.

Task-trained to support Michael’s specific needs, Maverick provides behavior interruption during moments of stress, offers grounding when hypervigilance takes over, and brings the kind of uncomplicated presence that has always brought out the best in Michael. Michael has approached every step of their training with the same diligence he brought to his Naval career; showing up prepared, asking the right questions, and doing the work to become the best possible handler for Maverick.

The two are nearly finished with their training, and we have a feeling Maverick will be riding shotgun on many overlanding adventures to come.