Fellow to Follow Spotlight: Elijah Dougherty

February 8, 2012 -- As a former infantry soldier, Elijah Dougherty knows what it is like to serve alongside others. In fact, one of Dougherty’s favorite things about the Army was the camaraderie and structure of working in a military unit.  Dougherty’s time in the Army was cut short during a deployment in Iraq, when he was injured in a Humvee rollover. As a result of his injuries, he was medically retired 2009. Still armed with a desire to serve; Dougherty applied for a Mission Continues Fellowship at Freedom Service Dogs, where he could pair his military skills with his other passion: a love of animals.

Freedom Service Dogs is a non-profit organization that rescues at risk dogs and custom trains them to become service dogs for disabled individuals. At Freedom Service Dogs, Elijah performs duties such as looking after the health and welfare of the dogs and attending a handler’s class to assist in the 150 hours of training that each service dog requires.

According to Dougherty, “I love dogs; and this organization doesn’t just help dogs, it also helps people. When I come home from work every day, I know that the work I did really helped someone.” After his Fellowship ends, Elijah has a strong desire to continue his work with animals in order to improve the lives of others.

Dougherty is one of the 38 Mission Continues Fellows serving in The Mission Continues Alpha Class. Alpha Fellows began the program on January 9, 2012 and will serve their host organization such as Freedom Service Dogs until July 2012.