There are countless stories of animal rescues out there with a common theme—’Who rescued who?’ The act of providing for an animal that relies on us for its very survival can have an amazingly positive impact on our mental health. It gives us a feeling that we are needed and have a purpose, it makes us realize our problems may not be as big as we thought. The animals we rescue return the favor with unconditional love and affection.
Army Sgt. Josh Marino suffered a brain injury in Iraq and had severe post-traumatic stress disorder. He was in so much mental anguish that he decided to end his life. He had written a suicide note and ventured outside to smoke one last cigarette. That’s when he heard a sound in the bushes.
He heard a tiny meow and a black and white kitten appeared. “He just walked up and started rubbing up against my leg and let me pet him, I broke down crying, burst into tears,” he says in his short film ‘Josh & Scout, a Mutual Rescue.’ “Maybe he knew there was something I couldn’t quite handle.”
That moment and that simple touch saved Josh’s life.
“I stopped thinking about all my problems and started thinking about his problems and what I could do to help him,” Marino said.
Josh fed the kitten every day and named him ‘Scout.’ He began a healing process and started making steps forward in his life. He was disappointed when, one day, Scout didn’t appear at his usual spot. This led Josh to seek out an adoption even for cats to find another cat to help, since helping Scout had such a profound, positive effect on his life.
At the event, he recognized a cat—it turned out to be Scout— Josh adopted him then and there.
Watch Josh and Scout’s emotional and heartwarming short film.
