A traumatised Afghanistan veteran says he has been forced to surrender his beloved support dog because the Department of Veterans' Affairs will not pay for its care while he travels overseas for work.
The black Labrador, provided by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), has been his companion for three years and helps with his mental health.
The former Battery Captain left the army after struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.
He is now a technician for a farm machinery manufacturer and is being sent overseas for a month for work.
But Mr Petersen said he could not take Amelia, and cannot afford the $4,000 cost of the specialised care assistance dogs required when their handler is away.
The 36-year-old asked the DVA to pay, but was told that kennel expenses were not covered if the veteran chose to go overseas.
He then decided to leave Amelia at the DVA's Adelaide office late last week.
"So I'm returning the dog to DVA ... because I'm unable to care for her when I travel overseas for work and DVA is unable to pay for that or refuses to pay for that care," Mr Petersen said.
"DVA has taken care of the dog now, with the threat that they won't return her to me when I come back from overseas with my employment."
Highly-trained psychiatric assistance dogs (PAD) like Amelia are provided by the department to veterans struggling with trauma.
The DVA pays for the dogs, which Mr Petersen said cost around $60,000, and reimburses many of their expenses.
But the department said it would only pay for kennelling if the veteran had to go into hospital.
"In relation to kennelling/care expenses not covered when a veteran is unable to care for the PAD ... veterans should access their personal support networks where possible," it said in a statement.
"If no support network is available, this is a private expense for the veteran, and DVA suggests the veteran get in contact with their dog supplier for advice on appropriate specialised kennelling arrangements, noting standard pet sitting and kennelling may adversely affect the PAD's training."
The department told the ABC it would ensure Amelia would be appropriately looked after.
Mr Petersen said he understood she would be returned to the training agency that supplied her.
"I'm just disappointed I can't take her, I'm disappointed that when I come home, I might not have her anymore," he said.
Mr Petersen said he felt like the department was forcing him to choose between his employment and his support dog.
"Certainly, something my doctor has recommended is going to work, so I'm going to go back to work," he said.
"They will literally spend more money for me to go to hospital than the care required for my dog to be cared for, for a few weeks."
But he is hoping he will be reunited with the dog, which he said is "imprinted" on him and can't be reassigned to someone else.
"I'll get Amelia back when I come home from my trip. I'll go find her, she'll come find me," he said.
