Michael's father had died during his latest deployment, and long months of separation from Rhonda had been extremely difficult. But that wasn't the last straw. "It's this dog at our FOB," he explained. "We're moving out of here, and she'll get left behind. I've been taking care of her, and I've grown to love her. Now it looks like I'm losing her, too."
During Michael's tour he had been blown up by an "S vest" (suicide bomb) and spent ten days in a German hospital before returning to duty in Iraq. Throughout his absence the camp mascot stationed herself on the soldier's cot. Except for potty breaks, Pooty refused to move until Michael came back. Rhonda suddenly realized that this dog meant more to her husband than anything else at that moment, and she made a vow to bring the dog home, no matter what it took to do it.
Days later the desperate Rhonda contacted Terri. Pooty became one of the twenty-eight animals to join the FedEx rescue mission. When she finally reached her new home in Washington State, Pooty weighed twenty-nine pounds and was nothing but skin and bones. Immediately she fit in with the family's three rescue dogs from American shelters, and she seemed really happy to be a pack member again.
Today Pooty weighs fifty-four pounds and is as healthy as a German short hair from Iraq can be. The Army camp's retired mascot has recently been promoted to Nanny for Michael and Rhonda's toddler daughter. Pooty dotes on the child, forgiving her for pulled ears and tail, and protects her as if that's what she was born and bred to do. Pooty and the toddler visit Grampa's five-acre family spread several times a week. While Pooty enjoys the freedom to run, Grampa shares a plate of pancakes with his granddaughter.
Pooty regularly attends U.S. military and SPCA fundraisers, doing her best to support the troops, and she raises money for local SPCA shelters and the Operation Baghdad Pups program. She's now a hard-working American dog and proud of it.
Stubbs-The dog that won the hearts of volunteers in New Jersey has gone from hell in Iraq to heaven in Virginia. Perhaps the oldest dog rescued by Operation Baghdad Pups, Stubbs had lived a life of sheer misery. Every time Davey's unit returned from patrol, he found that Iraqi soldiers had brutalized this poor animal. During the writing of Terri's book, we decided that details of the trauma Stubbs suffered were too horrible to include in the stories.
Before Davey handed Stubbs over to the SLG team that delivered him to Terri, Davey told his dog all about the wonderful home he was going to in rural Virginia. Finally, with tears in his eyes, Davey said, "Give this to my mom," and hugged his buddy goodbye.
"All those days we waited for Stubbs to come home," Lorna said, "it seemed as if the dog was an extension of my son. I knew how important he was to Davey, and I couldn't wait to get my arms around him. When he finally arrived, I went up to his crate and opened the door. The first thing that dog did was lick me in the face. I felt like my son had sent me a great big kiss."
"Our family decided Stubbs would be happiest living at our daughter's house. They have a fenced-in yard with trees, grass, and a big dog house for shade on summer days. One of their two dogs had recently died, and the remaining dog, Carly, had been pining for her old friend. We didn't know if she and Stubbs would get along, but the moment they set eyes on each other, it was like they were instant friends. My daughter also has two kids, so Stubbs gained a whole family as well as a girlfriend.
"Everything was an adventure for Stubbs at first. Why, he thought grass was the nastiest-looking stuff he'd ever seen. We laughed when he wanted nothing to do with it and refused to walk on it. But pretty soon he learned from Carly and the kids not to be scared, and now he loves nothing more than lying down on all that green stuff and having a good roll.
"Despite the mutilation and torture he suffered from human hands, Stubbs never hardened his heart. He looks at us with the softest, most loving eyes you've ever seen, and he's the gentlest creature you could imagine with those kids.
"Before Stubbs came to America, Davey thought he wasn't going to survive his tour in Iraq. But the moment we sent the message, `Stubbs made it-He's here!' my son kept talking about what he was going to do when he got home. I know in my heart that the saving of Stubbs was also the saving of my boy. When anyone wonders out loud at the fairness of bringing an Iraqi stray to America, I just tell them a soldier's dog is always worth saving because it's a part of him. And when my son comes home, I don't want any bit of him left behind."
Iraqi-Alishia's mother, Melissa, brought Iraqi home to Pennsylvania, where state regulations required her to quarantine the dog in her home for six months. By the time Alishia redeployed and was able to visit her buddy, her mom and the dog had totally bonded. Now called "Iraqi-Roo," the much loved dog has become attached to Bean, an American-born Dachshund.
"I didn't have the heart to break them apart," said Alishia, "but I visit him about twice a year. Each time I come, Iraqi and I go hiking in the woods. He loves chasing every bird he sees, and he jumps like a gazelle through the trees; it's beautiful to watch."
Alishia, now separated from the Army, plans to dedicate the rest of her life to animals. In the summer of 2011, she begins her first semester of veterinary school.
Dusty-The dog with intense gold eyes, rescued by Alan, has been both a comfort and a challenge to Jean, Alan's mother. When Dusty arrived in New York, Jean, a skilled dog trainer, described him as shut down, often frozen, and unable to respond. He was a highly stressed animal with classic symptoms of PTSD, shown by his sweaty pads, dilated pupils, and constant hair loss. He was reactive to fast-moving objects and people, and whenever anyone with a Middle Eastern appearance came to the house, Dusty had to be muzzled.
Dusty was used to taking care of his soldiers, and that behavior didn't change. When Jean's senior dog disappeared in a three-foot snowdrift and was unable to climb out, Dusty reacted by barking nonstop while running from window to window. Finally he sat down and gave a distress signal of three short howls, a sound he'd never made before. Dusty's behavior alerted the family to the other dog's predicament and saved its life.
Alan served as a Green Beret in the Special Forces in high-risk, top-security missions for six years. No one in the family ever knew where he was stationed, and when or even if he would come home for R&R or redeployment. One day Alan just appeared on the front porch unannounced and stood at the glass door looking in. Dusty froze with hackles up until he recognized Alan. He stood up and pawed the lever of the French door until it opened, and he jumped into Alan's arms, delirious with joy.
Jean's heart bled for this young man who now seemed like a stranger. Alan had come home about as emotionally cut off as a soldier can be. He was unwilling to talk to anyone, even his parents. For six years he had served in the most dangerous, high risk, ugly war situations that our country can ask of any soldier to endure. Due to the sensitive nature of his work while on deployment, he could never discuss the traumatic memories that would reveal where he had been and what he'd done. He had no way, therefore, to release them and to heal.
It was incredibly difficult for a mother to see her son in so much pain and be unable to help him. Her first hope finally came when she looked out the window one morning and saw Alan seated with his arm around Dusty's shoulders, and talking for all he was worth. From that day forward, Alan talked to Dusty for hours while the dog sat and listened.
"That was when I realized," said Jean, "that the war took my son away, but Dusty was bringing him back. The connection between those two was so intense; even today I can't explain it."
Three years later, Alan is working and living a productive life, while Dusty still lives with jean and plays paper chase every chance he gets. "We have four bathrooms," said Jean. "When I'm out of the house, Dusty goes into each bathroom, grabs hold of the toilet paper and runs. By the time I come home from work, paper is strewn everywhere, and that dog sits there grinning at me like he's Goody Two Shoes. Considering what he's done for Alan, though," she laughs, "I forgive him."
Patton-For a puppy that provided so much comfort to soldiers and counselors on the m
ental health team in Iraq, it's not surprising to learn that Patton also suffered postwar symptoms. Now weighing sixty pounds, he still seeks the safety of someone's lap when frightened by a loud noise. Patton also needs assurance when strangers approach, and exposure to new situations has to be on his terms-typical behavior for dogs that have lived in a combat zone.
Patton is enjoying life in Ohio with the retired Air Force major and her family. Only a month into her retirement, Jenni discovered that she had cancer. Her dog became a great source of healing and humor while she underwent chemotherapy. Patton helped her through difficult months to stay positively focused on her goal of complete recovery. He now claims the title of Canine Coach and accompanies Jenni as she practices for her first marathon.
"Patton is still a character," Jenni laughs. "His favorite thing of all is puddles, the bigger and dirtier, the better. Try as we might, my daughters and I just cannot keep Patton out of them. He claims our laps on the couch, keeps me laughing, and we all love him. Thank God, he's here."
Moody-Bryan's mom, Janet, was taken aback when someone asked why she and her son wanted to bring home a foreign stray dog, while so many American dogs needed homes. With two sons serving multiple tours in Iraq and a daughter married to a soldier on deployment, Janet was quick to respond, "Not one of those American dogs saved my son."
After serving three tours of duty and losing several close friends to enemy action, Bryan did what many soldiers do in order to just survive. He shielded his heart behind a nearly impenetrable wall of reserve.
"I dated a little between tours," Bryan said, "but I never allowed myself to get close to anyone or have a long-term relationship. Yeah, I was lonely. But when you're overseas, and you get a letter with the news she's tired of waiting and found someone else, it can destroy you. Distractions like that will get you and your men killed."
When the Military cable TV channel showed Bryan and Moody's Operation Baghdad Pups rescue story, a nurse in New York couldn't get the beautiful dog or the soldier with the sad eyes and gorgeous smile out of her mind. After several days she broke down and e-mailed the soldier, who had just started his fourth tour in Iraq. The nurse said she'd be glad to send stuff to Bryan and the other soldiers of his unit, so he quickly responded, "Yes, please!" hoping for a big care package filled with homemade cookies. They corresponded regularly, and Bryan found it easy to open up to this person unlike any of the women he'd dated before.
Three years later Bryan is still serving in the military, and he's back in the States living with his dog and the special woman he loves.
"Every time my son looks at that girl, his beautiful smile lights up his face," said Janet happily. "If it weren't for Moody, they'd never have met. Moody has been like a miracle to our family. He saved Bryan, and he brought the most wonderful woman into his life.
"I can't thank Terri Crisp and SPCA International enough. The work they do is so important for U.S. soldiers and their families. I pray they will continue their missions for as long as we have people serving overseas and that Americans will continue to generously support this program."
Due to the scaling back of American troops in Iraq during 2010 and 2011, many of the working dogs, owned by private companies and contracted out to U.S. troops for bomb-sniffing and other security duties, are no longer needed. As of March 2011, Terri began another Iraq-based rescue mission that resulted in eight retired working dogs making it safely back to the States, where forever homes were waiting for them. No more sniffing for bombs or facing the dangers of war; these dogs will now get to live happy, carefree lives. Terri promised that her efforts to find permanent homes for these war service animals will not stop until every unwanted dog that risked its life for our troops is brought home.
As of May 31, 2011, Operation Baghdad Pups brought a total number of 340 animals-280 dogs and 58 cats from Iraq, plus two dogs from Afghanistan-to the United States, determined that there will be no buddy left behind.
Jean and Dusty- "Hugging him was like holding a part of my son." Jean Mathers
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
How It All Began
Getting the Call
The Kindness of Strangers
Rescue Mission #1
A Brother's Plea
K-Pot and Liberty
New Friends
Guard Duty
Finding Felines
Heroes in the Making
Reaching Out
Patriot Pets
Team Effort
Countdown to Baghdad
In the Red Zone
Full House
The French Connection
AuRevoir!
Letting Go
Afterword by Cynthia Hurn
No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home From the Combat Zone Page 24
