NO Military Dog Left Behind

We've all heard the expression: "A man's best friend is his equipment."

You haven't? Well you must not work for the Pentagon. There, military dogs are considered mere "equipment" and as such can be left behind when the troops come home.

Retired military dog Chef on Capitol Hill on
July 23. Chef, a 12-year-old Belgian Malinois,
served two tours in Afghanistan
(Photo: Michael Reynolds, epa)

It's a bit more complicated than that. Military dogs are enlisted (drafted actually) to identify enemy locations, to seek out bombs and protect bases. It is dangerous, often traumatic, work. The dogs are credited with saving countless U.S. and allied lives, which is why the Taliban actively targets our dogs of war. While on active service, each dog is given a higher rank than its handler.

That is, right up until the moment these dogs are "retired." Once they are too old, too shell-shocked or simply not needed, the dogs are automatically declared equipment that can be left behind like a latrine tent. The military sometimes says they are "retired" and become "civilians," but the result is the same because these civilians don't have a right to military transport home.

Need convincing?

"While there is a proper, legal classification for a working dog, we know they are living things, and we have great respect and admiration for them," Gerry Proctor, a spokesman for Lackland Air Force Base (which trains military dogs), told CNN. "A handler would never speak of their dog as a piece of equipment. The dog is their partner. You can walk away from a damaged tank, but not your dog. Never."

If you ever talked to a military dog handler, or even if you simply had a dog, odds are you know the obvious truth of this. If you still need convincing, watch the 2013 Animal Planet documentary about U.S. war dogs in Afghanistan, Glory Hounds, to see not merely how vital these animals are, but also how powerful the bond between the handler and his canine comrades is. "The relationship between you and your dog is the most important part of your partnership," Lance Cpl. Kent Ferrell, whose German shepherd, Zora, is trained to both attack the enemy and find explosives, explains in the film. "Your dog has to be able to trust you."

Not All Veterans are able to adopt the Four-legged
Heroes they served with for various reasons. If you
are interested in giving a loving home to one of these
Heroes, follow the link HERE and learn how.

But that trust often goes unrewarded.

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.

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