THE COLONY — Wherever Zack Pennington goes, so does Ella, his service dog.

Pennington is a Navy veteran who served from 1998 to 2007 and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“She’s a safety blanket for me,” he said.

Pennington was diagnosed with PTSD is 2008, and through a program called “Shepherds For Lost Sheep” put his own dog, Ella, through training to help with his disorder.

The post office tells News 8 the dog was not wearing a vest, and had no collar on. Pennington refutes that claim, saying she was wearing a vest and always has her collar. He admits that Ella is not a fully-certified service dog, but is in training and is one month from full certification. He claims his dog should still be afforded all the benefits of a service dog.