Fidos For Freedom

🎬🐾 TOMORROW IS THE NIGHT!!!

The Heart of the Beast premiere is happening tomorrow at
Arundel Mills, and Fidos For Freedom is so excited to be part of it!

If you want to join us, general admission tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't wait! Come see this movie on the big screen and stop by the Fidos For Freedom table while you're there. 🐾💜

Get your tickets here:
https://gofobo.com/screenings/movie_landing/Rmlkb3NGb3JGcmVlZG9t//

We can't wait! Who's coming?! 🎬🐾

A day at the ballpark turned into something a little more special for service dog Astra and her family. 🐾⚾️❤️

Service dog Astra, along with her girl and family, had a great time at batting practice against the Phillies, watching the players warm up, making a few new friends, and even getting a few pets along the way, with permission, of course! 🐾❤️

There were smiles, new connections, and those little moments that remind us just how special the Nationals community can be. It was a very special time for all.

Community is built one connection at a time, and we're always happy to see one of our service dog teams start to truly shine and become part of the communities around them. ❤️

Today, that community happened to be at Nationals Park. 🐾⚾️

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🎬🐾 Fidos For Freedom is heading to the movies!!!

Well... the premiere! 😂

On September 23, 2026, Fidos For Freedom has been offered the exciting opportunity to head to the premiere of Heart of the Beast in Arundel Mills, starring Brad Pitt and Uber!

So, if you haven't seen the trailer yet, go check it out now! We know we're extremely excited to see this upcoming movie. What about you? 💜🐾

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An incredible thank you to Shootout for Soldiers Baltimore for another very special year. 💜🐾

Fidos For Freedom was honored to once again be chosen as one of the organizations supported by this incredible event. A portion of the funds raised will go to support our future Veterans' teams and continue creating life-changing partnerships for those who have given so much for our country.

For the veterans we serve, these partnerships can truly be life-saving. A service dog can provide support, independence, and a sense of security while walking beside their partner through life's challenges.

From all of our hearts, thank you to Shootout for Soldiers Baltimore and everyone who participated and donated. Your support helps make these partnerships truly possible. 💜🐾

Project 2 Heal Shootout for Soldiers

Today, we remember. 🇺🇸

On September 11, we remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the countless people who stepped forward in the days and years that followed.

It is also a reminder of why continuing to come together in support of those who serve matters.

As Shootout for Soldiers Baltimore begins, people from across our community will come together for that very reason. Players, veterans, organizations, clients, staff, volunteers, and supporters, each playing a part in something bigger than themselves.

And there's still time to be part of it. Whether you choose to share, donate, or join us, your support helps make a difference. 💜🐾
https://baltimore.shootoutforsoldiers.com/Race/MD/SparksGlencoe/ShootoutforSoldiersBaltimore

Over the past few weeks, you've met some of the veterans behind the teams we serve. 💜🐾

You've heard Kenny's story with Mabry, followed Matt and Sparky as they begin their journey, and heard from Ava about her story with Salem.

Three different veterans. Three different journeys. Three different partnerships. But each story gives us a glimpse of what can happen when a veteran finds their service dog to walk beside them.

Shootout for Soldiers is helping make more of these stories possible. But more veterans are waiting for their story to begin.

If you've enjoyed hearing these stories and want to help us continue sharing more of them, there are lots of ways to show your support. You can donate, share this post, or simply help spread the word.

Every bit of support helps. 💜🐾

🇺🇸 Support Shootout for Soldiers:
https://baltimore.shootoutforsoldiers.com/Race/MD/SparksGlencoe/ShootoutforSoldiersBaltimore

Labor Day is a time to recognize the hard work and dedication of people across our communities. 💜🐾

It also reminds us that meaningful things are rarely accomplished alone. They happen because people come together, give their time, and support something bigger than themselves.

We're grateful for every person who chooses to show up, lend a hand, and make a difference for others.

Today, we celebrate the dedication, hard work, and heart of the people who help make a difference every day.

Happy Labor Day from Fidos For Freedom! 🇺🇸💜🐾

Behind every service dog partnership is a community of people who help make it possible. 💜🐾

Matt and Sparky's journey is one of those partnerships.

On June 22, 2026, Matt and Sparky were officially matched as a team. Since then, they've been beginning the process of learning how to navigate life together, one day and one training session at a time.

Shootout for Soldiers sponsored Matt's service dog partnership, helping make it possible for him to begin this journey with Sparky.

But a partnership like this doesn't happen because of one person or one organization. It takes trainers, volunteers, supporters, donors, and a community that believes in the power of these partnerships.

We are incredibly grateful to Shootout for Soldiers for standing behind Matt and our veterans, and to everyone who plays a part in helping create these partnerships.

One veteran. One service dog. One community coming together to make a difference. 💜🐾

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“The way that he came up to me, it was like he was saying, ‘I'm paired up with you now.’” That moment was the first glimpse of a bond that would start to grow between Matt and Sparky.

On July 22, 2026, Matt and Sparky were officially matched as a team. There were several dogs who may have been a good fit for Matt, but Sparky was the one who was meant to be his partner. While Matt was signing the paperwork for the match, Sparky would occasionally walk over to check in on him before laying down again. It was a small moment, but one Matt would never forget. Without knowing it, something between them was beginning to take shape.

Now, just a month later, Matt and Sparky have already begun learning how to navigate life together as a team.

Their first outing together as a new team was at a baseball game. Matt, his son, Sparky, Sparky’s trainer Sara, and fellow trainer Tatiane were there for their first training session together. It was a place filled with people, movement, and distractions, the kind of environment that required Matt to constantly scan his surroundings and stay aware of everyone around him.

But during that first training outing, something remarkable happened. Matt found himself shifting his focus away from everyone around him in that section and simply enjoying the game with Sparky and his son by his side.
“He was there and I felt like my window was almost closed. I could tell who was in front of me and behind me, but my focus was actually on the game. I was really surprised how fast I was able to do that and not focus on everything around me.”

Their partnership didn't begin with a grand moment, though. It started quietly, with simple words and Sparky walking over to check on Matt. And now, just a month into their journey, small moments like the one that happened at the baseball game are beginning to show Matt what life with Sparky might look like.

This is truly only the beginning. There is still so much ahead for Matt and Sparky, but for now, they are simply taking it one day, one outing, and one moment at a time. 💜🐾

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Every service dog in training and every client has their own journey. Some feel a bond even before a match, while others have quieter beginnings, waiting for the right moment for that connection to become clear. There is no one way for a partnership to begin. Some connections happen right away, while others take time to grow. Sometimes, you don't even realize a bond is forming until one small moment makes it clear, and that is exactly what happened between Matt and Sparky.

Before we can talk about Matt & Sparky's story, we need to go back to the beginning of Matt's journey as a veteran. Back to 2001. A year that began like any other. A high school senior looking toward the future, not knowing just how much the world around him was about to change.

After the attacks of 9/11, Matt knew he wanted to serve. Still a senior in high school, he enlisted in the delayed entry program a month later, and in 2002, he joined the Army. The years that followed took him on a deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq. Along the way, Matt was injured multiple times, experiences that would stay with him long after he came home. But life continued to move forward. Right after getting out in 2007, Matt met his wife, and four years later, they were married. Together, they built a family and welcomed two boys, Lincoln and Jackson.

Yet even as his life was moving forward, Matt was still struggling with the invisible wounds he carried home.

Then in 2024, he attended a veterans retreat where he met other veterans who had service dogs. He listened as they talked about their dogs and the ways those partnerships had changed their lives. Their stories stayed with him.

It wasn't entirely new to Matt. A few months earlier, his wife had attended a spouses retreat, where she heard veteran spouses share how service dogs had changed their spouses' lives. Now, after hearing those stories himself, Matt began to wonder if a service dog might be something that could help him too. When he returned home from the retreat, he talked with his wife. He was apprehensive and unsure, but he was willing to give it a try. With her encouragement, Matt decided to apply for a service dog.

In March of 2025, he applied to Fidos For Freedom and nine other ADI-accredited organizations. Fidos was the closest to him and one of the first organizations to respond. And that... that was where Matt's journey with Fidos began.

Very soon, a 2½-year-old black Labrador Retriever named Sparky would become part of that story…

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