Mary Cortani

Mary Cortani is from California, USA. She started Operation Freedom Paws, where she helps people that were in the Army of Iraq. She helped over 70 veterans train their own dogs. The dogs can help the soldiers be able to have a normal life again, because after the war they had trouble sleeping, being around crowds, or even getting out of their houses.

Cortani started training dogs more than 30 years ago while she was in the Army, and she changed that to have a civilian life, where she runs a canine obedience school. It was only recently that she started focusing on war veterans. In 2009, she received a call from a Marine who had been waiting more than a year for a service dog. He was looking for a trainer who would help him train his Rottweiler puppy instead.

She had already started training dogs in the Army, and when she came back, she started training service dogs. People could start getting out of their house, sleeping, shopping, spending time with their families, and much more. That is why I chose to write about her.