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 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.