OK, since it is now Wednesday, I thought it would be a good time to follow up on Monday’s post about a dog named Tuesday. I stumbled across this article from the Wall Street Journal while I was looking for something else. If you watched the third video attached to Monday’s post, you learned a bit about Tuesday, a dog who helps veteran Luis Carlos Montalvan deal with severe PTSD. Here’s “The Rest of the Story.”
Tag Archives: Iraq
Very Touching Dog Story
This one’s a little longer than most, but well worth your time. I dare you to read all the way to the end without tearing up.
Iraqi dog Ratchet greets his saviour
Photo credit: Star Tribune
We posted a few months ago about Ratchet, the dog rescued from a burning pile of rubbish in Iraq by Army Specialist Gwen Beberg. With the help of about 70,000 people who signed an online petition urging the Army to loosen regulations and allow soldiers to bring home dogs from war zones, Spec. Beberg was able to send the dog home to her parents. GOOD NEWS! Beberg has now made it home safely from Iraq as well.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the Specialist came home on January 18th and was happily reunited with Ratchet at the local VFW hall. You can see the whole story here..
Update on Ratchet, the Iraqi stray dog
Just saw the news today, that thanks to 50,000 signatures on the petition and some political pressure, the military is now ready to allow Ratchet to come home from Iraq, possibly as early as Sunday. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here for the original post.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Help Bring This Soldier’s Dog Home from Iraq
Sergeant Gwen Beberg never dreamed her compassion for a dog she rescued last May from a burning pile of trash in Baghdad would spark such a fight. Approaching the end of her tour in Iraq, the good sergeant was transferred in preparation for returning to the United States next month. You guessed it, the military will not allow Ratchet the dog to accompany Gwen even to her new base, let alone back to the U.S.
“I just want my puppy home. I miss my dog horribly,” Sergeant Beberg, 28, e-mailed her mother after being separated from Ratchet.
The military said in a statement that Customs procedures often prevented foreign animals from entering the US without vaccination records and other medical documents. Although official military policy prohibits deployed soldiers from bringing home strays, the Department of Defense has been known to make exceptions. Working with Operation Baghdad Pups, a program set up by the International SPCA, soldiers have been able to bring home 50 dogs and 6 cats from Iraq.
Terry Crisp, of Operation Baghdad Pups, flew to Dubai yesterday and is due to arrive in the Iraqi capital tomorrow to speak to members of the military. “Iraqis view dogs and cats as rats, as nuisances, carriers of disease,” she said, noting that US soldiers had rescued many abused animals, such as a puppy that was being kicked by a circle of Iraqi men.
Crisp’s colleague, Larry Garrison, makes that point that pets can serve an important function by helping soldiers readjust to normal life when they return home.
If you agree, sign the petition to bring Ratchet home!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!