Concord family adopts dog with a mission to serve veterans

CONCORD, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A Concord family has adopted a second dog with a bigger purpose.

Dutton is just 16 weeks old, but she might be the most observant dog we have ever met at this age.

But Dutton’s life mission is so much more. She’ll be bringing more service dogs to the Queen City and beyond.

Stephen Lackey wanted his family to be part of this mission.

“We felt that Project 2 Heal was a really great and special organization because of where the dogs go,” Lackey said. “While we really weren’t a good fit for the puppies that you have to give away after a year to go on and be service dogs, we knew we could give a nice, loving home to a mom dog.”

The Lackeys are Dutton’s chaperone, and when she’s ready, she will go back to Project 2 Heal to give birth to puppies.

Marci Turso is the Director of Operations at Project 2 Heal.

“Aside from giving a home to a dog, they’ve got an important job as well,” Turso said.

Turso said chaperones help reduce wait times to get more service dogs out there, especially for veterans who wait years for one. She said some vets wait anywhere from two to four years or more to get a service dog.

“It’s not happenstance,” Turso said. “[Our team works] very hard at building resilient dogs and then we keep those dogs back in our program so that we can perpetuate that in our future lines.”

Turso said she knew the Lackeys were the perfect family to chaperone Dutton because of a letter that they wrote to their kids about her bigger purpose – to be able to serve veterans, children, and adults with disabilities. She called it a slam dunk.

“It was one of the best things I’ve read in years,” Turso said. “It was so perfect. And we feel very fortunate to have them.”

According to Turso, the Lackey family’s mindset of being mission-driven to serve where Project 2 Heal needed it most was also key.

“A dog can only have so many puppies, so you have to continually help fill the program with future dogs, and that’s the way we can contribute to that,” Lackey said. “There’s something more than just a family member and a pet. There’s a way you can give back to a community in a broader organization even if you don’t see who the recipient is at the very end.”

Turso said Project 2 Heal is always looking for volunteers. You can learn more information here.