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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Freedom Fidos

Fidos4Heroes, Inc. DBA Freedom Fidos is a non- profit corporation which provides task trained service dogs to disabled veterans with physical disabilities

Matt Burgess spent 8 years in the US Army with deployments to Iraq, Bosnia, and Macedonia. During those deployments he experienced four blast explosions resulting in traumatic brain injury, as well as a reaction to the Anthrax Vaccination which resulted in eighteen medical conditions. Matt was medically retired from the Army in 2007 and granted 100% permanent and total disability rating from the V

eterans Administration. In 2013 Matt pet dog, Brinks was performing many lifesaving tasks for Matt. Consequently Matt wanted Brinks to be trained to be a service dog. Matt found an organization, and trained Brinks to be his service dog. Matt’s service dog, Brinks, wakes Matt up when he stops breathing at night, carries groceries, alerts Matt to changes in his health, brings Matts phone when he has blackouts, retrieves items off the ground which greatly reduces Matt’s pain level, and much more. Brinks is Matt’s lifeline. Matt started Freedom Fidos in order to provide other veterans the same quality of life Matt experiences as the result of having a service dog. In 2014 Matt started Freedom Fidos. An IRS approved 501(c)(3) whose mission was to rescue dogs from shelters, train them to be service dogs, and provide them at no cost to disabled veterans. Freedom Fidos spent two years in Myrtle Beach ,SC. After moving to Columbus, GA, Matt dissolved Freedom Fido’s, and started Fidos4Heroes, which received its IRS 501 (C)(3) status in September 2016. Matt’s organization has placed 36 dogs since its inception and has a waiting list of over 200 individuals. Fidoes4Heroes(DBA Freedom Fidos) is excited about their purchase of a four acre plot of land, in November 2016, in Columbus GA, which will the facility. Fundraising campaigns will begin soon which will enable us to complete the metal outbuilding which will not only be state of the art, but also, house eight dogs enabling us to start reducing our waiting list and enriching the lives of the veterans which need our services. Much Love from all of us at Freedom Fidos.

02/22/2025

02/21/2025

Ding -ding -ding for Restaraunt owners ,Real Estate owners,etc.
Want your QR code,logo,link,website ,etc engraved .
We can do it for You.

02/16/2025

02/09/2025

Not watching the Superbowl?
Come visit us at Midland Masonic Lodge.
Brinks says treats are welcome,

01/26/2025

Infinite Creator I ask that your light shines on all and Freedom Fidos today blessing our service work to humanity.

Cant beat raising up the seat in the truck to wake up to this beautiful sight.

Looking forward to a great day in New Smyrna Beach.

01/25/2025

Thank You,Cayla and IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts for your kindness and support of our mission.We are excited to be here and looking forward to a great weekend .

01/14/2025

Great weekend in Cape Coral,Florida for the Arts Festival.
Much gratitude to Cape Coral Rotary Club for your support.
Sunday Afternoon Nikita says.." Wow,140,000 people is ALOT of people.I"m taking a nap.Now I know what Brinks has done for 12 years by himself."😊

12/18/2024

Freedom Fidos is a group of people who do what we do out of care for Veterans who need a Service dog,and Canines.We have witnessed the powerful, life-changing results which happen when a service dog team is created.
As all volunteers which receive no monetary benefit from the organization, we don't have some of the benefits and faster pace which organizations with salaries have. Consequently, we are always grateful for any help.
So ,thank you for so many who pay it forward to Veterans and canines by sharing our posts.It means a great deal to us.

12/16/2024

Thank You for the support this weekend ,Columbus residents.
Powerful moment for me when I was in line getting a cinnamaon roll,and a man on crutches got up from eating came over and said," Sir,thank you for your service ,I am paying your bill."

10/28/2024

Love what we do.

10/08/2024

We are grateful for the addition of three more sponsors for the Freedom Fidos 2024 Turkey Shoot Fundraising Event.
Columbus-Ft.Benning Shrine Club
3202 Edgewood Rd,
Columbus, GA 31907
(706) 561-5448
[email protected]
Thank you for the support and for everything you do for children.

_______________________________________________________________
Winn Dixie
https://www.winndixie.com/storedetails/columbus/ga?search=439
Thanks so much for your generous support.
________________________________________________________________
First People Bank
https://www.firstpeoplesbank.com/
Thank you for your support.
We appreciate all the awesome love you give Christiana Westbrook and Miss Nikita at the Hamilton, Ga, Branch when they come in there.

We appreciate all our other sponsors as well.
TouchTheTop
https://erikweihenmayer.com/
No Barriers
https://nobarriersusa.org/

Thank you all for your support. We are beyond grateful and excited about the exponential pace we are moving with ever increased dedication to our mission and to do more .
Matt, Brinks Burgess, and the Freedom Fidos Team

10/01/2024

We are excited to be asked to attend Orange Beach Freedom Fest this coming Friday and Saturday.
Would love for anyone who can to come out and see us doing what we do and enjoy the fabulous festivities.
There is something there for everyone.

https://www.gulfshores.com/events-calendar/annual-events-and-festivals/orange-beach-freedom-fest
https://www.orangebeachal.gov/429/Freedom-Fest

Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual Orange Beach Freedom Fest! The Freedom Fest will be a two-day event on October 4th and 5th at the Wharf.

Address

Columbus, GA

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.freedomfidos.org/

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Dog themed gifts for the dog lover in your life .

Brinks LOVES his aunt"s and uncles at UniquExpressions, Coffee Shop & Cafe.He was a dog on a mission to go get his pup cup. Much love to our soul family at Unique Expressions

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Our Story

EIN#81-3891401

IRS Approved, Georgia Based INC, 501(C)(3)

I served in the military for eight years with deployments to Bosnia, Macedonia and Iraq. During those deployments I experienced 4 blast explosions creating Traumatic Brain Injury as well as a reaction to the Anthrax Vaccination resulting in 18 previously nonexistent medical conditions.

I was medically retired from the Military in 2006.Two years later, after losing my house, cars, and good credit rating I received a 100% permanent and total VA Disability Rating as well as Combat Related Special Compensation.

During 2012, while enrolled at UGA, my longtime pet of 15 years passed away. Consequently, I decided to go to the Athens, GA animal shelter to see if I could find another dog to adopt. When I walked into the first kennel, a little fluffy brown and black bundle of fur ran up and started chewing my shoelaces almost like he was verbally pleading with me, PLEASE take me. I applied to rescue that little bundle of joy, which, resulted in being approved despite the waiting list of six individuals in front of me who for reasons we now know didn’t adopt Brinks.

During his first year as an untrained pup Brinks immediately started waking me up at night and saving my life when I would take off my CPAP Mask and stop breathing; often up to thirteen times per minute.

In 2013 my Pet Dog Brinks, who was already doing lifesaving tasks for me elevated himself to an even higher level. While I was working on building a privacy fence, the wind blew a board hitting me in the head and knocking me unconscious. Brinks jumped an existing five foot wire fence, scratched on the neighbors door alerting her, jumped back over the fence, and I woke up to Brinks dropping my cell phone on my chest, and licking my face. In that defining, powerful, transformative, lifesaving moment Brinks let me know what our life's purpose was to be. We were to start a Service Dog Organization which would rescue dogs from shelters, and train them to be lifesaving, healing, medical instrument, service dogs for disabled Veterans at no cost to the Veteran. We were absolutely convinced we could not withhold the indescribable healing and empowerment we had experienced from this more than deserving population.

Subsequently, I found a South Carolina based service dog organization which stated they would train Brinks to be a service dog. During my time at this organization I realized I had a gift for training and connecting with Canines. Therefore, I trained Brinks to be a Task Trained Service Dog consistent with The American with Disabilities Act in addition to becoming one of the organizations main trainers.

Consistent with the life purpose Brinks had previously shown me we co-founded Freedom Fidos in 2014. After receiving our IRS 501(C)(3),nonprofit approval rating in South Carolina Freedom Fidos spent two years there before moving the Organization to Georgia.

Fidos4Heroes( DBA Freedom Fidos) received our IRS 501(C)(3) approval rating in addition to our Georgia Corporation letter in September 2016.

Freedom Fidos purchased the property which is now the location of their Facility in November 2016. Currently, since its inception five years ago, Freedom Fidos has created 42 service dog teams. We will place eight more service dogs with their respective handlers in the next couple months as we continue to reduce our 200 plus waiting list. Our organization has watched our handlers go from home-bound to never home, deeply afraid to fearless, powerless to powerful, always sick to mostly well, deep despair to high hope, lonely to never alone, and loners to leaders. The countless resiliency stories of the human spirit which we witness on a repeated basis not only could fill a book, but also, constantly make every member of the Organization thank Brinks for being the first voice to let us know our calling and commission. This view we are afforded as we watch nature’s ultimate healers collaborate with the determination of our handlers to keep serving their communities provides us with a never ending sense of purpose and fulfillment in addition to an unquenchable desire to do more. We are committed to keep making a difference as we save the lives of Canines and Veterans.

Thank You for your support. We are grateful as we are not able to continue our mission without You.

https://freedomfidos.org/

02/22/2025

02/21/2025

02/16/2025

02/09/2025

01/26/2025

01/25/2025

01/14/2025

01/14/2025

12/18/2024

12/16/2024

10/28/2024

10/08/2024

10/01/2024

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