--- title: Veteran's Therapy Dog Serves As Best Man At Wedding description: Justin Lansford and his dog Gabe have been through a lot together since the U.S. Army Veteran was wounded in Afghanistan. canonical: https://time.com/4065031/therapy-dog-wounded-veteran-wedding/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-07T19:18:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:25:42.626Z og:title: Veteran's Therapy Dog Serves As Best Man At His Wedding og:description: This level of commitment gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "man's best friend" og:url: https://time.com/4065031/therapy-dog-wounded-veteran-wedding/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Veteran's Therapy Dog Serves As Best Man At His Wedding twitter:description: This level of commitment gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "man's best friend" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Wounded Veteran's Therapy Dog Serves As Best Man At His Wedding ## Video: How Dogs Help Veterans Cope With Post-Traumatic Stress [Watch (HLS stream): How Dogs Help Veterans Cope With Post-Traumatic Stress](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8gW0ZGsw.m3u8) (5:11)  _Published 2010-11-11. Struggling with post-traumatic stress, veteran David Sharpe says he found a dog at a shelter that saved his life. Now, with a group called P2V, he pairs other vets with rescued pets._  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Oct 7, 2015 7:18 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Oct 7, 2015 7:18 PM UTC Justin Lansford and his dog Gabe have been through a lot together since the U.S. Army Veteran was wounded in Afghanistan. Lansford lost his leg in an IED explosion during his time as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division in 2012, [ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wounded-veterans-therapy-dog-serves-best-man-wedding/story?id=34260139) reports. When he returned home to recover, he was partnered with two-year-old Gabe, a golden retriever from the [Warrior Canine Connection](http://warriorcanineconnection.org/), a nonprofit that pairs wounded warriors with therapy dogs to help with post traumatic stress disorder. The two have since become inseparable. When Lansford decided to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Carol Balmes, he could think of no one else he’d rather have as his best man than his faithful canine friend. So on Saturday, Gabe dressed in his finest and stood up with his owner at the couple’s ceremony in Largo, Fla. 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