Gene Schrieffer and his service dog Copper in his home near Tucson, Ariz., on September 24, 2020. Schrieffer is a Vietnam veteran who received Copper three years ago. β€œIt has been a wonderful three years,” said Schrieffer. It took a little under two years for Schrieffer, Pima Animal Care Center and some neighbors to catch Copper.

 Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Daily Star

Gene Schrieffer is a Vietnam Marine vet.

He retired at the rank of E-7 and years later would develop symptoms from Agent Orange.

Schrieffer has PTSD and is currently fighting cancer.

He’s lived in Tucson for nearly 20 years but remains connected to family and friends like Mary Alice Ceryes in Minnesota.

Ceryes has written a tribute to Schrieffer from the perspective of Schrieffer’s rescue dog, Copper Marie.

β€œFor all the ugliness the world has shown him he continues to be a kind and gentle man,” Ceryes said of Schrieffer.

From the desk of Copper Marie

My name is Copper Marie. I am an Australian sheepdog and border collie. I am about 5 human years old and I live in Tucson with my forever dad Gene Schrieffer.

Gene is a Vietnam Marine vet who suffers from the effects of Agent Orange. He is a kind, patient and loving man.

Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let me tell you about my life and my journey.

As a puppy I had a home with a family. My dad Gene found out that within a year of my life, I had puppies. The family I lived with drowned them all. After a few weeks the family moved out and left me.

I had to fend for myself. Most days were spent wandering the neighborhood looking for my family and foraging for food.

My family never came back, but there were a couple of ladies named Pam and Linda in the neighborhood who would leave food for me. After 20 months, the two ladies stopped providing food and water so I had to turn to hunting rabbits from the monsoon wash.

After a couple of encounters with coyotes, I learned they aren’t my friends. Coyotes injured my back leg and inflicted terrible bites on my head. Pam and Linda noticed the bites to my head and contacted a veterinarian for antibiotics, which they fed to me through tasty food, to kill the infections.

It was an early morning in the monsoon wash when I first saw my forever dad, Gene. He was out walking his dog Bear and saw me. In the days to come, he would talk to me and leave food and treats. The daily walks and encounters continued a good part of a year. A couple times there were other people who would walk with Gene and Bear. Little did I know that they were discussing how they could catch me.

There was a housing development nearby of about 50 new homes being built. A man named Dan, the supervisor, had seen me hanging around and brought me a dog bed. The dog bed would be placed in the middle of the home being built, so I could watch from all directions for coyotes. It would stay there until the windows and doors were installed, when the dog bed would move to a new home.

Distillers at Whiskey Del Bac harvest several barrels of whiskey on, Oct. 2, 2020. The process includes checking fluid levels in the barrels, tasting for quality and pouring the whiskey into a vat where water will be added before going onto bottling. (Josh Galemore / Arizona Daily Star)

There were many humans working at this site and several left food for me. After the last house was built, I no longer had a bed or a roof over my head or daily food handouts. Dad Gene contacted the neighbors, asking them to call him if they saw me.

Hunting for rabbits in the monsoon wash was not always a success and sometimes a couple days would pass without a catch. I continued to return to my old neighborhood and smelled food behind a house. A boy inside the house saw me and called Pima Animal Care Center.

Gene Schrieffer’s service dog Copper receives some attention at Schrieffer’s home near Tucson. Copper is an Australian sheepdog and border collie.

I was taken to the animal shelter and put in a kennel. I was livid and confused, so to settle me down they gave me a sedative. Someone at the shelter told Gene that if I did not come around, euthanizing would be the only other alternative. My savior Gene had hope and believed that with love and a caring home I would be a good dog.

I was at the shelter for 10 days. The only visitors I had were Gene and Pam. These kind people talked to me and brought me food. On the 11th day, I was released. My favorite human brought me a collar and took me home to meet my new sister, Bear.

Bear was a chow mix and a rescue dog. She became my best friend and mentor. I had my own kennel in the back bedroom. Bear was happy to have a new companion of her own kind. She would lay outside my doorway constantly, trying to tell me that I was in a safe place where food and love was plentiful.

In the days to come, I was weaned off the sedation medication. There was a constant routine of going on walks to go potty. I would follow Bear out to the garage and listen as Gene would say β€œsit and treat.” All new words to me, but I soon understood that this was to get our leashes hooked up to go outside. The garage door would open and we would head out to get our business done.

For the first month everything went good. One evening, Gene opened the garage before putting our leashes on. I took off. He was calling my name but I ran through the monsoon wash and up the hill to my first home. It was starting to get dark when I saw two figures walking toward me β€” it was Bear and Gene. Sitting still, my leash was hooked on and we headed home together. This would be my first and last time running away from home. I knew in my heart that this is where I belong.

Shortly after my first-year anniversary in my forever home, my best friend Bear was showing signs of sickness. I did not know that her kidneys were failing. Within a week or so, my dad carried Bear out to the car. That was the last time I saw Bear. It was the end of the world that my best friend would never come back. If dogs can be depressed, I was.

Gene started to spend much more time with me. He took me for walks in my new neighborhood where there were many nice people. They gave me treats and I got to meet other dogs.

I took my first of several road trips to Minnesota with Gene.

As the summer in Arizona became scorching, dad packed the car with lots of stuff. In the back, I had water and food and my memory foam bed in case a nap was needed.

I loved Minnesota with the cooler temperatures. The soft green grass felt great on my toes. So many new smells of squirrels, chipmunks, bears, deer and sometimes a coyote. This was truly a dog’s heaven.

It was in Minnesota where I’d meet dad’s son Kyle and Kyle’s wife, Andrea. Last fall, Kyle and Andrea would make me Auntie Copper when they had Alexander, aka little Otto. I met dad’s friend Mark, who had a huge yard where I could run off my leash until I had a run in with burrs β€” that limited my roaming space. I met Mac and Sharon and their cat, who hissed if I came too close.

We’ve also traveled to Bayfield, Wisconsin, where we took a tour on a huge boat. This was all new to me. I was a little apprehensive about the idea but dad reassured me that everything would be OK. It was cool to see so much water and check out the scenery. Even the wind smelled good. Another first in my short life.

Gene Schrieffer allows Copper, his service dog, to take a treat from his mouth at their home near Tucson. Copper was rescued by Schrieffer.

It was back home in Tucson where I’d start my next adventure.

We went to a pet store where they were advertising for service dog licensing and training. Most of the tasks were already in my daily routine. I could open doors, pick up things that fell and all the basic commands that many dogs learn. I never bark and am good-natured.

After a couple months, we went back to the pet store so I could be tested. Dad was a little nervous but confident in my abilities. I did it! I passed with flying colors.

This was my entrance to a new world. Going into grocery stores is a rainbow of smells. When we’d go to the dog food aisle, dad let me smell all the treats and pick out the one I wanted. At restaurants, I hang out under the table.

Life with my forever dad, Gene, has been more than I could ever want. I am a lucky dog and my life has been an incredible journey.

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