War Veteran From LI Surprised With Service Dog At Giants Game

NEW JERSEY (CBSNewYork) -- Marine Corps Veteran Frank Giaramida, of Commack, made a new best friend on Sunday.

Giaramida was surprised with Scarlet, a 7-month-old German shepherd puppy, on the field of MetLife Stadium during the Giants game. The gesture was one of gratitude for Giaramida's service in the Iraq War, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported.

"I see the dog come out and I'm looking at the screen, and I see a dog and I'm looking around and I didn't even hear what the commentator said anymore," Giaramida said.

Giaramida waited two years for a service dog -- a companion that he said will be a life-saving inspiration, one he needs now more than ever.

"The last 10 years have been a struggle," Giaramida said. "Six months ago, I recently lost my fiance to a brain aneurysm. So this service dog is going to do a lot for me."

Marine Corps veteran Amanda Donald trained Scarlet for "Paws of War," an organization funded by Cow Harbor Warriors, a nonprofit group that raises money for post-9/11 war veterans.

"They'll take dogs from kill shelters, pit bulls, german shepherds, whoever and they'll take those dogs and train them to be a service dog for a courageous veteran," Donald McKay, of Cow Harbor Warriors, said.

Donald said she wanted to give back after experiencing the difference Roxy, her service dog, made in her life.

"I couldn't go to crowded places and now with her there it's nothing,' Donald said. "So I saw that how it was for me and I wanted to do that for somebody else."

"This is going to be my best friend," Giaramida said. "I need a friend."