Nick Bray smiles as he carries Buddy through the garden of his Treasure Island apartment on Monday, June 1, 2026, in San Francisco, California.

“I thought about getting him qualified as a PTSD dog, but he is not really a service dog. I would be lying,” said Bray. “Maybe an emotional support dog, but I am not going to take him to school and let him sit in class. It has been two years since the day he came to the porch.”