With small children to care for, Chris and Amanda agreed to take the leap and squeeze their savings until they were dry, in order to build and grow Semper K9. When those savings ran out, the couple refused to let a notion of pride prevent them from completing their mission, and accepted public assistance until they began generating an income from their work.

It was hard, says Amanda, but worth it. She was not about to give up on Chris’s dream.

“We’ll go broke. I’ll have puppy pee and crap in my house. I’m pregnant but there’s no doubt because I’m married to my best friend.”

That faith in their mission and in each other is a key factor in the strength of their marriage and the growth of their organization.

It is hard. Very hard, says Amanda, to stay the course. There was no money for anything most people would take for granted. Even a trip to Taco Bell was out of the question when they didn’t have money for gas to drive there. Vacations? Forget it. Their faith has been tested over and over, but each time they stay true to their cause and recommit to their dream as a team.

“We’ve been tired and stressed, and said we are going to quit,” she admits. But with the right mindset, those moments can be reframed.

Instead of dwelling on those financial hardships more than necessary, Amanda refers to them as “small sacrifices,” and notes that she is skilled at being frugal. Instead of collapsing under the weight of their massive workload and parenting duties, they focus on the important example they are setting for their children, and the fun the kids get to have with those rescue puppies.

Instead of rush into a hasty solution to their challenge of cramming the dogs, supplies, and family into one small home, they take a deep breath and find alternatives to help them be patient and smart about that solution.

Canine Coach Families are trained to foster dogs and puppies for them and become part of the Semper K9 team. Word of their good work reached the ears of Mike Rowe’s team, who featured the Baity’s on the “Soldier Dogs” episode of Returning the Favor and helped move their mission forward by building a training pavilion on the Baity’s 33 acres of land being molded into Semper K9’s future facilities.

Five years into their journey, the Baity’s have placed about 42 rescued and fully trained dogs with veterans and their families. Those moments are what makes it all worthwhile to Amanda and Chris.

From the first paired team to the most recent, every match is a celebration. To them, even one match would have been worth all their struggles. But 41 others and more to come keep them moving forward.

The Baity’s have plans for Semper K9.

Those plans include tiny houses built on their land, with a full-on training facility. There, veterans will be able to live for free and work with the dogs. They will be able to match about 48 veterans with dogs annually.

It’s a win-win, even if it is a massive endeavor.

There are certain struggles ahead for Amanda and Chris. They will have to raise enormous amounts of money to see their dream through. Amanda is aware of that but does not allow that to weigh her down. Her husband gave of himself to support his country in service, and she knows he will continue to do so for the rest of his life. His dream has become her dream, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m helping my husband live his dream and to me, that is the American Dream.”

Amanda shared extra tips for anyone interested in turning their own dream into their reality. One of these tips is below. Subscribe to American Snippets to be first in line for our soon-to-be-launched mastermind program, where the rest of her tips, as well as mentorship and insight from numerous experts of diverse industries, will be shared with you.

“Do not start something if you are not 110% committed. There are going to be so many times you want to quit but what’s motivating you and driving you to make sure you always have that in your heart and you’ll be successful at whatever you’re doing.”