On September 3, 2009, life-long dog-lover and loyal hospital corpsman to the Marines who served in his unit, HM3 Benjamin “Doc Stiggy” Castiglione lost his life while taking care of “his guys” in Afghanistan.

Benjamin "Doc Stiggy" Castiglione's (left) love of dogs lives on through Stiggy's Dogs.

Since then, his aunt Jennifer Petre has decided to help Castiglione’s legacy of love for animals and helping people live on through an organization dedicated to his memory.

Stiggy’s Dogs is focused on turning rescued dogs into emotional therapy dogs to help military veterans recover from severe emotional trauma after returning from war.

The organization’s motto captures their mission statement perfectly: “Rescuing one to help rescue another.”

One of the first dogs rescued for this program was a black and white, male, American bull dog mix rescued from euthanasia in California by shelter workers and volunteers who fell in love with him.

The calm and curious dog was flown from California to Indianapolis, thanks to the efforts of Pilots N Paws.

Petre and her husband drove five hours from Michigan to Indianapolis to pick up the dog, who was promptly and affectionately renamed “Big Stig.”

Big Stig (right) sits by a war memorial in Howell, MI, where Castiglione's name had just been added.

Though the organization plans on taking any breed of dog to serve as an emotional therapy dog, Petre is happy to have a pit bull terrier as the first ambassador of Stiggy’s Dogs.

“I am a bully lover,” said Petre, “We match them up with the person. They are military veterans, and that breed is fitting them well. Anytime I can make [a pit-bull-type dog] an ambassador, I am all for that.”

In addition to Big Stig, Stiggy’s Dogs also has Twig Stig, a male, Australian cattle dog mix.

Petre plans to keep the “Stig” theme in naming the dogs whenever possible as a tribute to her nephew’s nickname, “Doc Stiggy.” (“Doc,” because he was a hospital corpsman and “Stiggy” as a twist on the third through sixth letters in Castiglione’s last name.)

“We are not using ‘Stig’ for all of them. The ones that can, we definitely will. That’s part of honoring my nephew. Part of it is making people aware. So many people don’t even know there is a war going on,” said Petre.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a very real obstacle faced by men and women returning from the war in the Middle East.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 20 percent of Iraqi War veterans and 11 percent of veterans of the war in Afghanistan suffer from PTSD, according to the National Institute of Health.

Twig Stig was the first Stiggy's Dog and is the Stiggy's "mascot."

Veterans Affairs currently runs “166 specialized treatment programs for PTSD, PTSD specialists, and the Serving Our Returning Veterans Mental Health Programs,” according to the National Center for PTSD.

Though there are different treatment options available to these veterans, dog therapy has proven incredibly effective.

“Medication works 50 percent of the time. Talk therapy, alone, works 30 percent of the time, and dogs work 84.5 percent of the time,” said Alicia Miller, Army veteran and co-founder of Operation Wolfhound (another organization offering emotional service dogs to returning veterans), in a recent news article on www.army.mil.

Petre has already received inquiries from returning veterans about Stiggy’s Dogs.

There are two veterans (one of whom served with Castiglione) currently on the organization’s waiting list and will soon receive their emotional therapy dogs.

“Part of the process is finding the right dog to fit the right scenario. We have someone who needs a dog to sleep with them because they have nightmares. Another has panic attacks and they need a dog to help them [refocus],” said Petre.

Upon returning from his first tour in Iraq, Castiglione fought to be redeployed, so he could take care of the Marines in his unit, in Afghanistan.

The dogs all go through the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) training and become certified therapy dogs, so they can go into schools and hospitals.

In addition to the CGC training, certified animal behaviorist and animal talk radio host, Donna Fournier has donated her time to Stiggy’s Dogs to help with training and preparing the dogs to go into their forever homes and provide the necessary therapeutic assistance.

It should be noted that Stiggy’s dogs are not trained as service dogs for those wounded and in need of physical assistance with everyday activities. Stiggy’s Dogs are emotional therapy dogs for those wounded emotionally after enduring the traumas of war.

“The emotional therapy gives [the veterans] a renewed focus so right there you see the confidence in the guys. The unconditional love and they appreciate the dogs being with them because it puts the focus on them. There are so many benefits – emotional, psychological and physical,” said Petre.

In addition to providing emotional therapy dogs to returning veterans, Petre has announced another exciting development on the horizon – Stiggy’s Sanctuary.

The sanctuary will be designed to house rescued dogs as well as veterans and their families who need time to emotionally recover after returning from war.

The sanctuary will be outfitted with accommodations for rescued dogs working toward becoming emotional therapy dogs and a cabin where recovering service men and women can stay upon their return from war.

While staying at the cabin, not only will they will be given the opportunity to help with grooming and training the dogs, they will also be given access to a psychologist in the area who has agreed to donate her time.

Big Stig is on his way to becoming an emotional therapy dog.

In less than one year, Stiggy’s Dogs has taken huge steps toward becoming a sanctuary for rescued dogs and surviving service men and women.

It is a rewarding and emotional journey for Petre and her family.

“It is in honor of my nephew … a way to keep his name alive," said Petre.

Stiggy’s Dogs is currently licensed through the state of Michigan, and is raising money for their 501(c)(3) certification.

Get Involved!

• For more information about Stiggy’s Dogs, please click here. 

• For more information about PTSD, please click here. 

• For more information on Pilots N Paws, please click here.
   

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Petre.