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Marine Veteran Bobby Hensley Partners with Freedom Dogs and Service Dog Frankie for PTSD Support
Marine veteran Bobby Hensley spent years carrying post traumatic stress and anxiety after his service. Today a chocolate Labrador named Frankie walks beside him from the moment he wakes until the moment he sleeps. Freedom Dogs, the Oceanside nonprofit that trains specialty service dogs at no cost to warriors, paired the two. The partnership has opened a new chapter for Bobby, his wife Gabrielle, and the students who see Frankie at school.
Bobby joined the Marine Corps in 1993. He served four years as an 0341 mortarman and deployed to Bosnia. The decision to enlist grew out of evenings with his grandfather, a World War II veteran who told the same stories again and again.
He always had great stories. And he would tell them over and over again and some people would be like, oh, I heard this, but not me.
Bobby wanted stories of his own. He got them. What followed him home was harder to name. He has said he struggled with depression and anxiety for years and learned to mask it. He hid it until with the help of his family, he was able to see that he needed help.
He reached out to Freedom Dogs after he recognized that professional support had to include more than talk. Founded in 2006 by Beth Russell, RN, Freedom Dogs provides custom trained specialty service dogs at no charge to active duty service members and veterans living with post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and related wounds of war. The organization keeps the only formal ongoing partnership of its kind with the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Battalion West at Camp Pendleton. Dogs begin basic training at about eight weeks in the homes of special volunteer puppy-raisers. Then comes task training that includes PTSD alerts, deep pressure therapy, nightmare interruption, crowd barriers, item retrieval, and bracing support.
CBS 8 San Diego told Bobby and Frankie’s story in March 2026. Watch and read that report here:
Bobby began working with Frankie in the summer of 2025. After months of training together, Frankie moved in with Bobby and Gabrielle full time in early 2026. She is still young and learning more everyday. Their bond is already doing the work a Freedom Dog is trained to do.
In crowds, Frankie calms him. When someone approaches from behind, a situation that used to spike his anxiety, she alerts. She may tap his leg, pull on her leash, or move behind him. At night she leaves her crate if she senses a nightmare and gently nudges him awake. When she feels anxiety rising she rests her head on his foot.
You have someone there that’s got your back. She’s always there, she’s always ready to go. When the bell rings, she stands up, turns towards my door that goes outside, and looks at me like, All right, let’s go. Let’s do this.
That bell belongs to the school day. Bobby now serves as an assistant principal at Ortega High School and Frankie is with him to greet students in the morning, in the hallways during the school day, and for the walk back to his car to return home. The same dog who wakes him from his nightmares stands up when the period ends and waits for the next task. Students who in the past have chosen to miss school have told Bobby they choose to come everyday because they get to see Frankie.
Gabrielle has watched the change from the closest seat in the house. Everyday errands that once felt out of reach are possible again.
We can go to the grocery store. We can do everyday things that he was not feeling comfortable participating in. Just his whole demeanor and happiness is very different.
Asked whether Frankie is life changing, Bobby did not hesitate. He said yes. He also said the partnership is only going to get better. These are not emotional support animals or therapy dogs. They are highly trained partners capable of tasks tailored to each warrior. Freedom Dogs covers the food, veterinary care and anything else the partners need for the life of the dog so the warrior can keep the team together.
Bobby’s story sits beside other Freedom Dogs partnerships, including Gunnery Sergeant Jake Taylor and Freedom Dog Tobin and Vietnam Navy veteran Mushroom Montoya and Yazzie. Through the Partner Program, a dog and trainer team works with a warrior for about nine months. The Partner for Life Program places the dog permanently when that level of support is needed. Learn more about how the programs work on What We Do.
Freedom Dogs remains a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Tax ID 43-2106405, dedicated to speeding recovery and enhancing the lives of wounded military heroes through the life changing bond of specialty trained service dogs. Puppy raisers, recurring donors, and community partners make pairings like Bobby and Frankie possible.
On November 14, 2026, Freedom Dogs will celebrate twenty years with A Light in the Dark at SeaWorld San Diego. Details are live on the 20th Anniversary event page. Those who want to put food in a bowl, a vest on a young dog, or another warrior on a training team can give at freedomdogs.org/donate.
Bobby once hid the cost of service because that is what many Marines are taught to do. Frankie does not let him walk that road alone. When the bell rings she is already on her feet.
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