Today we wanted to highlight an article that will tug at your heart. From “DON’T ABANDON OUR DOGS OF WAR“:
“… It is one thing to ask these warriors to say goodbye to their dog when it is still on active duty and is assigned a new handler, which often happens. It is quite another to ask them to leave these dogs behind when the dogs are effectively abandoned overseas, left to languish in shelters — or worse. That’s why handlers are sometimes forced to make incredible sacrifices to get their four-legged comrades home on their own.
Organizations such as the United States War Dog Association, the American Humane Association and K9s of the War on Terror do heroic work to reunite them when possible, at no taxpayer expense. One need only watch the videos of these reunions to see that the effort was worth it.
Legislation pushed by Representative Walter Jones, (R., N.C.) that would require military dogs to be retired only upon return to the U.S. has been languishing in Congress for years. Politically, and morally, it’s understandable that the top priority must be given to providing human veterans with adequate care, particularly amid the horrific Veterans’ Affairs scandals plaguing the Obama administration. No politician wants to be accused of caring more about dogs than people. But that’s largely a false choice. The cost of finding room on military transports is negligible, according to many. Private organizations can handle the rest.”…
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY (you will probably have to click past an annoying pop-up ad for the host magazine.) It is sad to consider that many of these intelligent, caring, and brave dogs could be forever separated from their human partners or worse, left behind when the troops come home. Let’s hope Congress acts to do the right thing on behalf of these amazing dogs.
