Since birth, Caleb has felt unworthy of love. He was adopted as an infant, but at the age of 6, his adopted parents divorced, and neither parent wanted him. Dropped off at a hospital, he ended up at a group home from age 6 to 11.

At a young age, he experienced a significant amount of loss, trauma, and abuse. He felt discarded, unwanted, and alone. At age 11, he was adopted by Stephanie and Matthew who were determined to give him everything he needed to flourish. Even with a loving home and a wonderful family, he still felt he wasn't worthy of love.

Stephanie noticed he had a huge heart for animals. She learned he would benefit from a service dog to help with his crippling anxiety and trauma-related psychological conditions.

She reached out to Medical Mutts Service Dogs who specializes in training shelter dogs to become service dogs. Medical Mutts worked with a dog for about a year and then, on a very special day, let the family know they had a dog ready for Caleb.

That’s when Caleb met Darcy.

Darcy is a labradoodle who was dropped at a shelter because her owners didn’t like the type of hair she had.

Caleb said upon meeting Darcy, “She’s like me because she was rejected, too.”

It was from that moment that these two learned how to work together as a team. Darcy alerts Caleb to anxiety attacks, wakes him up during night terrors, and is his constant companion. Caleb said, “When I have a hard time, she uses her body to calm me. Animals can give their calm to our bodies, and we feel better.” Darcy shows him that if she is okay, he can be okay, too.

Although they were both discarded, they now have each other.

“People who have experienced loss, grief, and trauma, sometimes have trouble accessing joy and remembering life is worth living. Darcy’s unconditional constant love and capacity for play, gives Caleb something worth living for. He knows he has Darcy to live for. Sometimes in our darkest moment, the love of an animal can get us through. That’s not something a prescription can give or that face to face therapy can give. It’s a real living creature who loves and plays and provides joy and a relationship. This might be the first relationship he’s experienced like this. Darcy let’s him learn how to be in a relationship so he can experience love from humans. She’s teaching him how to love and that he is worth love,” said Stephanie.

Together, they are learning that they are worthy of love

Would you consider a donation to help people like Caleb and dogs like Darcy feel worthy of love?