Meet Ariel — and her human — who are forging a special bond

Staff photo by Mary Kemper Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient Daniel Votrobek, right, and his dog, Ariel, are undergoing training to prepare Ariel to become a service dog at Dogs 4 Life, Vero Beach, with the help of trainer and Army veteran Jay Harris.

Staff photo by Mary Kemper
Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient Daniel Votrobek, right, and his dog, Ariel, are undergoing training to prepare Ariel to become a service dog at Dogs 4 Life, Vero Beach, with the help of trainer and Army veteran Jay Harris.

Mary Kemper
Staff Writer
She’s small, has beautiful hair, bright eyes and boundless energy. She can leap onto a tall bed in a single bound and save her human’s life in the event of danger. She can wait patiently under the table until a meal is done.
She can even “herd” and keep track of those lesser beings not gifted with her sense of organization. Is there anything she can’t do?
The answer: Not much. Just ask her human, Daniel Votrobek, Vero Beach, who has Ariel, a Belgian Turveren (also known as Belgian sheepdog) in training at Dogs 4 Life to become a certified service dog.
Votrobek is a Marine Corps veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart Medal, for wounds sustained in three different IED explosions in Iraq.

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