There's a cozy armchair by the front window in Edward "Buddy" Shropshire's home, with a view of his neighborhood in Millis, Massachusetts.
He used to take it in alone. That is, until Puppy arrived.
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"Sometimes I come in and I sit in this chair, and I fall asleep to wake up at noontime or whatever, and he's right here on my lap, sleeping away," Shropshire said.
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The small Cavalier King Charles spaniel drapes his head with floppy ears across Shropshire's knees and wags his tail when he is swooped up into his owner's arms for a hug and a kiss on the head.
"I would be lost without him," said Shropshire. "Sometimes we get a little lonely, but we do okay. Don't we?" said Shropshire holding his pup.
His wife, Joan, passed away from Alzheimer's. His children are grown--one lives out of state and the other stops by regularly to visit and help around the house, but Shropshire says it's nice to have a companion who sleeps with him, eats with him and waits for him to come home from his outings at the local American Legion.
"It makes me feel good. You know, you always need somebody to love, I think. And he's really good."
The 97-year-old is a Coast Guard veteran who served in World War II. He was paired up with Puppy by 22Mohawks, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing suicide among veterans and first-responders.
"It's lonely to be home, to have a life, to be able to go out and do things and then slowly lose your mobility and then a lot of these veterans and first responders, there is additional trauma. You can't always explain that to, necessarily, a person, or you don't want to explain that to a person," said Kylie Davis, director of 22Mohawks' Pups for Vets program. "Having a companion that you don't have to use your words but just knows how you feel and can offer you that support is super-important."
Over the past year and a half, Davis has helped Puppy settle into his new home, taking over food and supplies. Her weekly check-ins on the dog grew to include errands and dinners with Shropshire, bringing an additional friendship into his life.
"He offers a whole view of the world I've never seen before, which is really special," said Davis. "You've just had the pleasure of sitting with him and hearing his stories and learning about his life and that is something people don't experience in today's world anymore, especially with all the technology. So having the opportunity to get to know, not only Buddy, but a gentleman who served and in a different time is truly amazing."
