AUGUSTA, Maine (WGME) — Fia is a 10-month-old golden retriever training to become a PTSD, mobility, and anxiety service dog.
“I am a firefighter paramedic, and through my job, many years of doing that, [I] just really struggled with some of the things that I do, and she is being trained to help me go through that, deal with some of the stresses that I’ve had to encounter,” Tony Cataldi said about Fia.
Fia is one of many dogs training through “Mission Working Dogs,” a Maine organization that helps train service, therapy, and facility dogs.
“It’s a two year process after the two years is over. The dogs will know over 150 commands,” Cataldi said.
Training a service animal can cost upwards of $5,000.
To help fund Mission Working Dogs, the “Augusta Elks Veteran Committee,” and the Augusta fire and police departments hosted the “Battle of the Badges,” a basketball game between Augusta firefighters and police officers.
Money was raised through donations, raffles, and friendly competition.
“It was great to see them come out and support the cause in the police department and fire department. It’s a big part of our outreach to the community, in our community,” Matthew Estes, a detective with the Augusta Police, said.
A portion of the fundraising from Sunday’s game is going to the family of Randy Lewis, an Augusta firefighter who sadly passed away earlier in the week.
“It’s been a rough week for family and us at the fire department. I wanted to make sure that we had this moment, that there was a bunch of people coming with a bunch of people that love Brandy to be able to set the memorial, put a little donation boot for the family,” Anthony Barton, an Augusta firefighter and paramedic, said.
The charity game concluded with the police department winning.
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