SOMERVILLE, Tenn. – As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who did tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pennsylvania native A.J. Courteau has experienced his share of surprises.
As you can imagine, some of them were bad.
But the one he received Thursday, a 12-week-old black Lab puppy named Lucy, was a good one — and she just might be able to help Courteau put some of the bad behind him.
Like many war veterans, Courteau suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. His doctor back home believes a therapy dog could aid greatly in his recovery, and young Lucy will now take on the role.
“When my family told me we would be driving 14 hours down here to go to Graceland, I kind of knew something was up,” said Courteau, a big Elvis fan who made the trip here with his mother Patty and his father Al. “But I had no idea what it was. I was overwhelmed when I found out I was getting this dog.”