SCHNECTADY, N.Y. -- JDog Junk Removal has a mission, and it’s about much more than profits. Part of the company’s aim is to help veterans find purpose. 

“They want to go back to belonging in a place where there is a mission. That it is not just a job. It is not just collecting junk and stuff and hauling it away. But it is what we do with it afterwards and it is our purpose,” said Ray Gagnon, a JDog Junk Removal franchise owner. 

Gagnon, a Marine Corps veteran, owns three JDog franchises, including the one we visited in Schenectady.

The junk removal business is staffed primarily by veterans and people from military families, like Rashida Abraham. 

“Even though I wasn’t able to serve, I am serving here for a greater purpose, so this allows me to know what it is like to be with a team who has each other’s backs because that is the military way,” said Abraham. 

Teams travel to homes in camo-covered trucks. Unwanted items are loaded in. 

“They execute the job with precision, expertise, respect, integrity and trust,” said Dan Bearor, a district commander for JDog Junk Removal. 

Instead of dumping loads in landfills, JDog works to recycle and resell items. Items are donated to charities or sold to benefit veterans causes. 

“Whether we’re putting veterans to work or whether we’re serving the community, it is all about that cause,” Gagnon said. 

“I don’t consider myself a junk removal person. I consider myself a JDogger and that’s what we’re about,” said Abraham.