Ronald Rodd doesn't know what he'd do without Nellie, his service dog.
"She's with me 24 hours a day," he said.
The Gulf War veteran, who resides in West Palm Beach, adopted the pit bull mix three years ago so that she wouldn't have to stay at an animal shelter.
After hard work and intense training, Nellie learned to make life a lot easier for her owner.
"I have balance issues. I fall down a lot," Rodd said. "Nellie will help me get up."
Nellie accompanies Rodd to work at the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue in West Palm Beach, where Rodd is hoping to inspire other potential dog owners to adopt larger breeds that typically have a harder time finding a forever home
"Because they’re a large dog, or because of the way the look, a lot of people have preconceived notions of what they are," Rodd said. "They’re really sweet dogs."
Click here for a list of South Florida locations that will be participating in NBC 6 and Telemundo 51's fourth annual Clear the Shelters adoption drive on Aug. 18. Adoptions fees will be reduced or waived.
More than 80,000 pets were adopted through the 2017 Clear the Shelters campaign, a nationwide push to place deserving animals in forever homes. Join the conversation on social media using #ClearTheShelters.
