GLEASON, Wis. (WSAW) -Apex Angels and Warriors provides life-changing opportunities for wolf-dogs and veterans.
Located only 40 minutes from Wausau, Apex Angels and Warriors in Gleason is changing veterans’ lives.
“You can come out here and you can have immediate, just healing and relief and de-stress and non-judgmental,” volunteer Lucas Barr said. “And you get to work and hang out with the veterans.”
Apex Angels and Warriors rescues wolf-dogs and brings them to their property. Co-director Michelle Last encourages veterans to come see the wolf-dogs to help take care of the animals, or just to hang out with them.
“Sometimes I take naps with her, I’ll come in here and I will literally come cuddle with her,” Barr said, talking about a wolf-dog named Beauty.
Barr is at Apex Angels and Warriors every day. He lives on site, and he loves on the 31 rescued wolf-dogs every day. After he came home from deployment, these wolfdogs provided comfort.
”I’ve told several of our veterans that if you’re having a bad night, it’s 2 a.m. and you need to come out and get dog love, call me,” Last said. “We’re here for you.”
Last wants to break down the stigmas that wolf-dogs are dangerous killers. She says veterans can also be seen this way and wants veterans and wolf-dogs to bond over this, while lowering veteran suicide rates.
“Both my parents were in Vietnam, and I lost my father in 2006 to PTSD suicide because there, at that time, there was nothing out there for the veterans except the traditional things that just weren’t working,” she shared. “So we wanted to do something non-traditional.”
Last says they feed their wolf-dogs about 100 lbs. of meat a day.
They’re also having a tick problem this spring. More volunteers are coming over Memorial Day weekend to cut tall grass and lay down tick preventative materials.
Apex Angles and Warriors is always looking for volunteers. They especially need help with cutting grass and with monetary donations.
Apex Angels and Warriors is free for veterans, and the non-profit runs solely off donations. Last says they have a huge need for donations right now to pay for vet visits, and to help improve their space. You can donate on their website.
Apex Angles and Warriors will have a Memorial Day event and an open house on June 7th. They also said that they want veterans to know that this is a place where they are encouraged to come to find healing.
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