Anthony + Rosie

Anthony spent more than a decade serving in the United States Navy. From 1997 to 1998, he deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Nimitz. After forward-deploying to Japan in 2004, he completed multiple additional deployments, including a return to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Essex in 2004, service aboard the USS Tarawa from 2007 to 2008, and another deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln from 2011 to 2012.

He remembers his years at sea with great fondness, particularly the rhythm of life on the water and the quiet solitude it offered.

But the weight of those years followed him home.

Anthony lives with PTS and major depressive disorder, navigating night terrors, anxiety in crowds, and periods of depression that can make even ordinary days feel out of reach. After leaving the Navy, he channeled his experiences into education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Social Work. For someone who has spent years studying the human mind and helping others, some of the hardest work has been learning how to care for himself.

That journey brought him to Shelter to Soldier.

Anthony was matched with Rosie, a Belgian Malinois mix whose adoption and training were generously sponsored by Vulcan Materials, a proud Red Star Sponsor of Shelter to Soldier. Rosie came to the program through our friends at Labs and More. After being found as a stray and taken in by a Good Samaritan, Rosie eventually found her way into the program and, ultimately, to Anthony.

Rosie is calm, steady, and deeply attuned to him, the kind of dog who often seems to understand what Anthony needs before he has to ask. Anthony has been patient and loving with her from the beginning, and their bond has grown into something genuinely special.

Rosie is specifically task-trained to support Anthony’s needs. She performs behavior interruption when anxiety begins to surface, helps him navigate crowded environments, interrupts night terrors, and provides grounding and stability during moments when depression or anxiety becomes overwhelming.

Anthony’s goal is simple, but deeply meaningful: to attend a concert.

For many people, going to a concert might feel like an ordinary night out. For Anthony, whose anxiety has often kept him at the edges of places and experiences he wants to enjoy, attending a concert represents something much larger. It represents freedom, connection, and the ability to participate more fully in the life he wants to live.

That is exactly the kind of independence Shelter to Soldier works to help veterans reclaim.