Disabled Marine veteran says his service dog, ‘Freedom’ found him when he needed him most

SAN ANTONIO — A disabled veteran from Marion just south of New Braunfels is sharing his story of overcoming loss and everyday challenges following his time being stationed in Iraq in 2007.

Ivan Perez was on a training ride getting ready to compete in a race, when he came across someone who wouldn’t leave his side. The two of them don’t speak the same language, but they’ve been inseparable for the past year.

“To me I always joke around and tell people that I communicate with dogs betters than I do with people,” Perez said. 

Some races aren’t carried out on foot. Perez’s new friend, a German shepherd, was racing against time to find a home. He was dumped a few miles down the road from a park.

“You could tell he was lost, he didn’t have anywhere to go,” he said.

Perez served in the U.S. Marine Corp, stationed in Iraq in 2007.

“I got shot by a sniper,” he said.

But that hasn’t stopped Perez’s yearning to become an athlete. For two and half years, he has been training for the Paralympics.

“The Semper Fi & America’s Fund from day one, has gotten me a bike,” Perez said. “I didn’t think I was going to fall in love with that much,” he said. “And it was just something that I got to be able to get into shape.”

Like the flight of an eagle, Perez says freedom is what he feels when he’s cycling.

“The first time I feel freedom as far as you know being disabled,” he said. “But being able to go fast and explore.”

Perez says not only has his dog Freedom found him, this veteran has found peace with freedom.

‘It’s also fun for me,” Perez said. “Because I have to be patient and it allows me to recognize when I’m getting upset or something and I have to take a step back. Calm down before I start working with the dog again.”

To support the Semper Fi & America’s Fund, click here.

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