Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Cortani.
Hi Mary, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always been an animal lover. I grew up with dogs, and as a child, I had a neighbor who used a guide dog. That was one of my earliest introductions to working dogs and the incredible partnership that can exist between a person and a dog.
At 18, I joined the Army with the goal of becoming a Military Police K9 handler. That decision led me to become one of the first female Army K9 handlers and, later, an instructor. My time in the military strengthened my understanding of working dogs, training, discipline, and the powerful connection between dogs and their handlers.
After leaving the military, I made a major career transition into high tech, at a time when what we now call IT was still in its infancy. I started on the manufacturing floor, moved into research and development, and eventually worked my way into an executive position.
Through every stage of my career, I never stopped training dogs. I trained my own wilderness search and rescue dog and later became a lead trainer for our local K9 search and rescue group.
Years later, I found myself facing another major life transition, much like the one I experienced when leaving the military. I decided to return to what had always been a constant in my life and opened a dog training business for the general public.
Then I received a call from a Marine who needed help. That one phone call changed everything.
What began as helping one Marine through a small dog training business ultimately became Operation Freedom Paws. Today, 15 years later, we have served more than 620 veterans, first responders, children, and other adults with disabilities. When you include the families whose lives are also changed through this work, our impact extends to more than 2,800 family members.
What started with one person and one dog has grown into a mission that continues to transform lives every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey has never been a smooth road. I have faced obstacles throughout my life, many of them related to working in male-dominated fields. But I learned to see those obstacles as opportunities to grow, adapt, and prove to myself that I could accomplish the goals I set.
For me, “no” was never the end of the conversation. It simply meant finding another way to make a “yes” possible.
There have also been times when I have chosen to walk away from toxic environments in search of something healthier. I have reinvented myself when I needed to, trusted my instincts, and always believed it was okay to dream, and to dream big. Operation Freedom Paws is proof of that.
One of the most important lessons I have learned is the importance of giving back. Freedom isn’t free. If you have the ability to make a difference, make one, not only for yourself, but for someone else.
We never truly know another person’s story. We cannot always see their injuries, wounds, scars, or trauma. But we can choose to be kind. We can choose compassion. And we can make a difference one person, one dog, and one day at a time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Operation Freedom Paws is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering veterans, first responders, children, and other individuals with disabilities to restore their independence through the human-canine relationship.
What makes Operation Freedom Paws different is that we do not simply provide someone with a fully trained service dog. Our clients spend approximately 48 weeks learning to train their own service dog under the guidance of our experienced trainers. That process creates an incredibly strong partnership while also helping clients rebuild confidence, independence, trust, and a sense of purpose.
Whenever possible, we partner with shelters and rescue organizations to identify dogs with the temperament and potential to become service dogs. In that way, we are often changing two lives at once: the life of a person who needs support and the life of a dog who needs a second chance.
But our work goes far beyond dog training. Operation Freedom Paws takes a whole-person approach to supporting our clients. Our program includes access to mental health support, veterinary care for the dogs, assistance with food and other basic needs when necessary, and a community of people who understand many of the challenges our clients face. Most importantly, our relationship with our clients does not end when they graduate. We provide lifetime support to our service dog teams.
Over the past 15 years, we have served more than 620 clients and impacted more than 2,800 family members. We have also given hundreds of shelter and rescue dogs an opportunity to find purpose alongside the people they were uniquely matched to support.
What I am most proud of is that Operation Freedom Paws has remained deeply personal. Even as we have grown, our mission has never been about numbers. It is about the individual sitting in front of us and asking, “What does this person need to regain their freedom and quality of life?”
We want people to understand that disabilities are not always visible. Trauma, neurological conditions, and psychological injuries can profoundly affect someone’s ability to navigate everyday life. A properly trained service dog can provide much more than assistance with specific tasks. That dog can become a bridge back to family, community, independence, and hope.
At Operation Freedom Paws, we often say that we are saving lives at both ends of the leash. That is at the heart of everything we do.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Animals make me happy, especially dogs. Dogs meet you exactly where you are. They live in the moment, without judgment, and there is something incredibly grounding about that.
I also love traveling and experiencing the world beyond where I live or grew up. It reminds me that, despite our differences, we are all connected. Gardening makes me happy because I love seeing things grow, working with my hands, and simply being connected to the earth. And I love to read, whether I am expanding my knowledge or escaping into an entirely different world for a while.
But what makes me happiest is seeing the transformation in our clients.
I love watching someone begin to reconnect with their family, their friends, and their community. I love seeing them grow, communicate, regain confidence, and begin to believe in themselves again. Many of the people who come to Operation Freedom Paws have experienced trauma, isolation, or a loss of who they once were.
Watching them begin to heal, to feel like they belong, and to recognize that they are worthy of a full and meaningful life is incredibly powerful.
Seeing someone begin to believe that a better tomorrow is possible for them, that is what makes me happiest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://operationfreedompaws.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opfreedompaws/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OperationFreedomPaws
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/operation-freedom-paws/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@opfreedompaws
Image Credits
Alan Chan
