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Veterans paired up with pets to help improve their lives

Finding the right pet is important to pet owners, and can be especially important for veterans.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Improving the lives of area veterans by pairing them up with pets was the goal of two Corpus Christi organizations Friday.

The project was a joint effort between the Corpus Christi Veterans Center and Animal Care Services to bring both animals and veterans together to improve the lives of both the dogs and the humans.

Haley Sprout is a kennel tech at Corpus Christi's Animal Care Services, and she helped veterans find dogs on Friday.

"Instead of having them watch through the kennels, I would go and meet with them and do deeper interview type things to help them find dogs," Sprout said. "We've had people come and say they want an energetic dog or a calm dog."

Finding the right pet is important to pet owners, and can be especially important for veterans.

"Because of all the trauma and things like that. It helps to have something good to come home to like a dog or a cat," Sprout said. "Helps to know that there's someone there for you."

"I have a love for animals," Veteran Kayle Pineda said. "I've always been wanting to adopt another dog."

Pineda was in the military for four years and know's first-hand what the love of an animal can do.

"At the time I was going through severe depression and anxiety," Pineda said.

She said transitioning from the military to civilian life is difficult, and not easy to explain.

"I had a harder time trying to convey the problems that I was having, and they have this ability to kind of know what's wrong with you," Pineda said.

That is why she chose to adopt at the event on Friday. The adoption fee for all screen animals was $22, including spaying, neutering, and shots.

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