After a life-altering accident, Trebor found strength, freedom, and a new chapter through his partnership with Presley, a Great Dane Service Dog.
At 22 years old, just four miles from finishing a 60-mile training ride, everything changed. An elderly driver struck him head-on, launching him into the air. He landed hard on his head and shoulder. The impact severed his spinal cord.
Doctors at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta told him he would likely never walk again. But Trebor refused to accept that future. He strapped on a gait belt, leaned on a walker, and with a nurse trailing behind him with a wheelchair, he pushed forward.
“That was my goal. And I walked out of that hospital.”
Step by painful, defiant step, he began rewriting what was possible.
What followed was a decade of grit: adapting, training, and rebuilding. Trebor became one of the first mobility-impaired individuals to complete a CrossFit certification and opened one of Georgia’s first CrossFit gyms. He trained veterans, stroke survivors, and special ops teams, impacting hundreds of lives while still adapting to his own new reality.
“I just wanted people to know: if you have the mindset and work ethic, you can overcome anything.”
But over time, the toll of that determination added up. As he hit his 40s, the falls came more often. His balance weakened. He started using a wheelchair more, and finally began to explore something he always had in the back of his mind: a service dog.
As Trebor’s balance began to decline with age, he started researching service dogs that could help with mobility. Great Danes kept coming up. Their size, strength, and temperament made them ideal partners for someone like him.
He began reaching out to organizations, not sure what to expect. That's when Northeast Canine answered the call.
From the moment she read his application, Megan, Northeast Canine’s Founder and Lead Trainer, knew there was something special about the match. Trebor’s resilience, his background in helping others, his military family ties, and his CrossFit journey all deeply aligned with the organization’s mission. Presley, with his calm temperament, perfect size, and steady presence, was an ideal fit.
Not long after, Presley arrived. A massive, drooly, sunglasses-wearing Great Dane with an even bigger heart, trained to support Trebor’s every step.
“Day two, something just clicked. I started giving commands. He started learning me. We became a team.”
Presley now walks beside Trebor everywhere — through the aisles of Walmart, around Lake Allatoona, and down the sidewalks of Canton, where he’s become a bit of a local celebrity. He’s hard to miss, especially in his signature shades, a pair of “doggles,” as Trebor proudly calls them.
“People smile when they see him. And I get to tell our story. And his.”
We are forever grateful to Karen Paquet for her generous support as Presley’s sponsor on his journey to becoming a fully certified Service Dog. Because of you, Presley was able to train, grow, and ultimately change a life. Thank you, Karen!
It takes 18 months and nearly $30,000 to prepare a Dane like Presley, but our recipients never pay a cent. They’ve already paid with their service. Your support makes these life-changing partnerships possible, ensuring that freedom, mobility, and dignity never come with a price tag.
