A U.S. Army veteran who suffers from severe PTSD was brought to tears after reading an emotional letter from his family surprising him with a service dog. Rudy Pena, from Amarillo, Texas, is a 10-year Army Combat Medic but after two deployments in Iraq began suffering PTSD, night terrors and depression. He has always wanted a service dog to help but it can cost $20,000-$30,000 and sometimes even more depending on the breed, training, insurance and other costs. Rudy’s wife, Samantha, was able to track down a local woman who offered her an affordable price so she immediately began planning the heart-warming surprise. Samantha, along with the couple’s children Aubrie and Trever and Rudy’s stepson Adrian Rojas, gave Rudy a letter to read on Father’s Day, before taking him to meet his new dog. As Rudy reads the moving letter out loud, he realizes the gift his family have given him, fighting back the tears to finish reading the rest of the note.
