BALTIMORE — Getting out of the military can be hard to transition back to civilian life. Some veterans come back with PTSD and other disabilities. K9s For Warriors bridges that gap, saving the lives of veterans and dogs.
They say a dog is a man's best friend, but for U.S. Marine veteran Bill Lins it's much more. Link became Lins' service dog back in August of 2022, creating a bond that can't be broken.
"Link was the missing puzzle piece in my life that I didn't know was there and then the glue that whole puzzle together so the pieces don't come back out,” said Lins.
Lins was born in Baltimore. He deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as an infantry marine in many roles throughout his 12 year career.
He returned home with PTSD, "My initial diagnosis was in 2007, I think which was pretty much right after Iraq."
Lins retired in 2016, but life after service was not easy.
"I wouldn't go anywhere, anything I did involved alcohol, I destroyed all the relationships around me. It was really just a hard time and I had no way out of it,” said Lins.
After therapy and other options weren't working, he was ready to give up. That's when K9s for warriors reached out.
"What they did that I don't even know if they realized that they did was they would check in every month or give a random phone call, how are things going, are things good, how can we help with anything and that was like the only person doing it at the time,” said Lins.
K9s for Warriors provides service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma. CEO Carl Cricco said the majority of the dogs that go through the program are rescue dogs.
"So we're not only battling mental health of our veteran community, we're also tackling the euthanasia of dogs. Over the course of our 10 years we've saved over 2,000 dogs,” said Cricco.
It took about three years and getting through COVID before the K9 team paired Lins with Link. A rescue dog that was going through his own struggles of being underweight, with no fur and worms.
Lins says it was the perfect match.
"I feel like he's my soulmate but not in human form, we do everything together and we fit together so well. He has changed my world where I was completely in my head at all times to letting me exist in my surroundings and in the present,” said Lins.
Lins now lives in Forest Hill and says there's peace within his family and daily life.
K9s for Warriors have reached almost thousand veterans and Cricco sends a message to any that may be struggling, "It's ok to ask for help, it's good to ask for help and we are just one of the many tools out there to help get veterans back to a life of dignity and independence.”
To learn more about K9s for Warriors, click here.