‘They save each other': Incarcerated veterans live with, train rescued puppies at California state prison

Sam Brinegar knows the magic an animal can perform on a veteran suffering from PTSD. She knows it because she lived it.

After 13 years in the United States Army, Brinegar, like so many other veterans, had a difficult time readjusting to civilian life.

“The transition is excruciating," Brinegar said. "It’s painful.”

It became so painful for Brinegar that one night she planned on ending her life at a lake near her parent’s home in Tuolumne County. As Brinegar drove there, however, she just happened to pass by the ranch that housed Horses of Warriors, a nonprofit that used equine therapy to help struggling veterans just like Brinegar. A friend had once recommended it to her, but she had no idea where it was and stumbled upon it completely by chance that night. She pulled over.

“I jumped the fence even though I probably shouldn't have,” Brinegar said. “And this horse, Leo, a big ol’ Blue Roan came up. It’s raining and he buried his head in my spine and just started breathing."

It was a moment that turned Brinegar’s life around.

What Brinegar realized she had been missing since her military days was a “mission” around which to organize her life. Working with animals to help struggling veterans became that mission.

The latest chapter has been through her dog rescue organization, Wiley’s Wish. Wiley was a dog Brinegar had adopted while in the military.

For the past year, Brinegar has been rescuing puppies from area shelters and bringing them to Soledad Correctional Training Facility. There, in the Veterans Hub, the dogs live with incarcerated veterans. The vets care for the dogs and train them in obedience and agility, getting them ready to be adopted. At the moment, 13 dogs are housed at the facility, with more than 30 veterans enrolled in the program.

“A dog doesn't care what you have done. If you are an incarcerated person, that dog doesn't care why you were there. All they care about is that you love them. That's it. That's all they want,” Brinegar said.

The veterans working with the animals say the experience is nothing short of transformative.

“She has given me a purpose,” Mark Wade said of the dog he is currently training.

Isidro Vasquez is scheduled to be released from Soledad soon. He will be able to adopt the dog he is currently working with, Lucy, and she will continue to live with him once he is on the outside. Vasquez says Lucy gives him motivation to not return to prison.

“She’s made a big difference in my life,” Vasquez said.