The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Iraq The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Iraq
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Bronze Star Veteran Adopts His New Four-Legged Battle Buddy:Through Pets for Patriots


After three combat tours in Iraq, a Bronze Star Army veteran becomes a hero of a different stripe: to an adult dog who would become his new battle buddy as he transitioned to civilian life.

Inspired to service by Vietnam War POW
During nearly a decade of service, Chris traveled the world. Originally from Oklahoma, the young Army veteran started his military career at Fort Carson, Colorado with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 4th Infantry Division (ID). Over the years he would deploy to the Middle East,  and serve in more than a dozen countries around the globe before finishing his career stateside.

“I completed three combat deployments to Iraq with the 4th ID,” Chris says, “and became a Bronze Star recipient in 2008.”

Chris saw the world while serving in the Army, but the inspiration to serve came from a place much closer to his home – and his heart.

“My grandfather was a Vietnam veteran and POW (Prisoner of War),” Chris says. “He was one of the smartest men I knew, my best friend and my hero, so naturally I wanted to follow his footsteps.”

In July 2011, Chris accepted a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in Tampa, Florida, where he finished his military career by working in Protective Services for the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

Pizza, pepperoni and pals
There is little doubt that Chris’ years of service, including three combat tours to Iraq, provided many memorable experiences. Despite enduring the brutality of war, the Army veteran chooses to remember a more comical moment of his nearly ten-year military career.

Chris and three coworkers were passing through Istanbul, Turkey. Their flight was not until the following morning, so they stayed overnight in the city at a hotel within the government rates. The brochure made the hotel look appealing enough, but that was where the appeal ended.

“Once we arrived we thought it was Halloween because this place was dark, creepy, and I was ready for a ghoul to jump out at me,” Chris recalls. “The rooms were unbelievably small, I didn’t have a toilet seat, and my friend Brian’s room didn’t have electricity!”
Undaunted, the foursome walked down the street to a local Domino’s pizza for a small taste of home. Not surprisingly, none of the employees spoke English, so Chris simply pointed to a picture of a pepperoni pizza on the menu.

“Sure enough, they were pepperoni…with mushrooms and corn!” he says. “We did our best to not complain, and ate since we were starving.”

In the end, the Army veteran admits the pizza was not too bad, despite the “unorthodox toppings.”

“We went back to our hotel and tried to get some sleep,” Chris says, “with our shoes on. We still laugh to this day about that pizza and hotel.”

In for a cat, out with a dog
Now separated from service, Chris lives in Florida and is often home alone. He longs for companionship, especially since his girlfriend Veronica lives and works in Colorado as a registered nurse, and he no longer travels for his job.

“I have always wanted my own dog,” Chris says. “Growing up, we always had cats. And living alone here in Florida and my constant traveling for work made it very difficult for me to consider adopting.”

One day when Veronica was in town for a visit, the couple decided to go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, just to “browse.”

“Originally, we were planning on getting a cat,” says Chris, “but when we passed through the kennel with the small dogs, we absolutely fell in love with Darla when she yelped at us to come see her. She was adorable and was very distressed about being in there. I set up a meet with her in their yard and she was extremely affectionate and friendly. We knew just then that we were going to take her home.”

At the time, Darla was a five year-old Pug and Beagle mix, often called a Puggle. She was surrendered by her previous family because they were unable to support her financially.

“Darla is such a great dog,” Chris says. “It makes me happy that they gave her to a no-kill shelter, rather than just abandoning her on the streets. I am extremely grateful I had the courage to adopt her.”

Chris noted that Darla was very well trained, and he “hopes for the best” for her previous family.

While at the shelter, the Army veteran learned about their partnership with Pets for Patriots, which helps veterans and military personnel adopt adult and special needs pets, and large breed dogs – and provides a range of benefits to make pet parenthood more affordable on an ongoing basis.

“I immediately applied that same day,” he says. “It is a great program and I encourage all veterans to consider using Pets for Patriots. Not only do you receive a few helpful benefits from the program, but when you adopt from a shelter, you are saving a life!”

Bronze Star veteran and his battle buddy
“Living alone can be very boring, and at times can really make stressful times even worse,” Chris shares, “since no one is around to talk to, or help me keep my mind distracted.”

Life is no longer lonely or boring for the Bronze Star veteran.

“Knowing Darla is at home waiting for me to walk through that door is exciting for me. It doesn’t matter if I’ve been gone for twenty minutes or four hours,” he says. “She always greets me as if she hasn’t seen me in years!”

Like many veterans, Chris misses the camaraderie and closeness of his fellow soldiers, but Darla has become something of a four-legged battle buddy for the decorated veteran. For her part, the little dog has taken well to her new life, including ditching her own bed to sleep under the blankets with Chris.

“She refuses to sleep in her own bed,” he says. “It’s very funny to see her jump on the bed and use her nose to push the blankets over her so she can burrow underneath. Even if I make her sleep in her own bed, she will somehow jump up on my own bed without me knowing, and sneak under the covers.”

Soon Darla may have to share the covers with Veronica, since she and Chris are moving soon to Denver so that they can finally all be together. Once there, Chris will pursue a new challenge in the civilian world.

“My passion is snowboarding and shooting guns,” Chris says.  “And I hope to one day open my own bar and grill.”

Whatever the young Army veteran decides to do, Darla will have his back.

“The loyalty and affection she gives me can make any day so much better,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how mad, irritated or stressed out I am, because once I walk through that door she makes everything go away and helps me to relax. She helps me keep my head up.”

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Saturday, January 24, 2015

Army Sergeant Reunites With, And Adopts His Bomb-Sniffing Dog


April 30, 2014 (Chicago) -- An army sergeant and his military dog are back together Wednesday night after an emotional reunion at O'Hare.

Sergeant Jason Bos greeted Cila as the bomb-sniffing dog returned from active duty.

The two worked together for five years detecting roadside bombs in Iraq and later doing security screenings for presidential visits here in the U.S.

With Cila's military service ending, Sergeant Bos is adopting her.

"It's time for her to retire and live the couch life," said Bos.

Bos and Cila are headed to the sergeant's home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

To see this heartwarming video, click here: Army Sergeant Reunites With, And Adopts His Bomb-Sniffing Dog FOLLOW US!
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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Woman Writes Heartwarming Letter to Soldier Forced to Give Up Beloved Dog


It’s a heartbreaking letter to an Australian soldier about loss, sacrifice and being sent into the unknown with a world of worry on his mind.

The soldier lost his mother recently and, to compound the grief, was forced to give her beloved dog Prinny to an animal shelter, after receiving deployment orders to Iraq.

In an open letter, Kae Norman, founder of animal rescue team Rescued With Love, articulated the soldier’s pain, and his anguish at leaving Prinny unloved, as he departed for the war zone.

Ms Norman wrote: “Dear Soldier, you don’t know me, but I know of you. I know you were heading to Darwin and then being deployed to Iraq.

“You are probably going through more than what anyone can ever imagine – and I wanted to ease your mind by letting you know your Mum’s dog Prinny is safe and happy with us at Rescued With Love.

“I know your Mum passed away and I am so sorry for your loss. Losing parents is hell, and to have to give up Prinny and surrender her to the RSPCA because you had no option would have been an unbearable burden.

“I read your surrender form which came with her paperwork, and my heart broke for you, for Prinny and for your Mum. You wrote such beautiful things about Prinny, and what a gorgeous girl she is. You were right, she certainly is.”

Ms Norman said older dogs like Prinny, who is 12 years and 4 months, don’t usually find a new home.

“I guess you know that, and thought you would give her a chance anyway,” she said in the letter. “The RSPCA did their best, and she was with them for ages …”

However, after a phone call to Rescued With Love, Prinny found a new home — with an Army veteran.

“He heard about Prinny’s predicament – and wanted to step up regardless,” Ms Norman said in her letter.

“I asked he and his wife to just wait and foster her – but it seems I didn’t need to be cautious at all. Prinny has fallen in love with her dad, and he with her, and they are now inseparable, and very, very loved.”

She added: “I don’t know where you are, or how to find you to tell you Prinny is safe. Maybe this will find you.

“All I know is my throat ached when I read your writing on that form when you handed her over – and I could not try to let you know she is safe, and very happy.

“Stay safe soldier.”

                       Here's Prinny, and a bestie called Brendan. Kisses all round.




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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Turkey Still Thinks This Guy Holding a Baby Bear is A Terrorist: Is He?


The photo below, of a Kurdish fighter nursing an orphaned baby bear, is a controversial one. It appeared on The Washington Post's front page on March 8, 2008, alongside a dispatch by Post correspondent Joshua Partlow from northern Iraq, where he was among Kurdish rebels battling an offensive by the Turkish army. The fighters belonged to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that has waged a three-decades-long insurgency against Turkey.

To read more on this story, click here: Turkey Still Thinks This Guy Holding a Baby Bear is A Terrorist: Is He?


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Monday, May 14, 2012

Military Dogs Euthanized as 'Equipment' Under Cruel Law



If roadside bombs and other hazards of war don't kill military dogs, senseless government regulations and red tape might.

The United States is breeding 100 puppies a year to train for bomb sniffing and other soldierly duties, but many aren't making it back to happy homes because an obscure federal law classifies them as "equipment" rather than personnel, and makes adopting them a financial and bureaucratic nightmare. A bill to require that the military ship the heroic dogs home and ease potential veterinarian costs for adopting families is currently bogged down in Congress, as dogs continue to be euthanized.



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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saluting The Troops - Dogs Welcoming Their Troops Home - Videos


Marine Maj. Brian Dennis returned from Iraq and was reunited with Nubs, the street mutt he and his fellow soldiers rescued and, with help from friends and family, had shipped back to the United States.

This article is a little different than most that I write. I am dedicating this article to the Troops that have already come home, and to those who will be returning in the near future.


When Troops are deployed, they of course, have to leave their family. Did you know that some of these Troops have dogs and must provide care for them while they are gone… sometimes for months? While it is heart breaking for these Troops to leave their families and dogs…the homecoming is well worth it!

My article consists of several heart-warming videos showing the greetings that some Troops received from their dogs when they returned home. The Troops in these videos are already home…but I am sure that we will see more of these as more Troops arrive.

Looking at these video’s you can feel the love that these dogs have for their Troops, and the Troops have for their dogs! You will need tissues!

Please click on the links below to view these videos. Adjust your speakers, there is a lot of barking love in these videos!

                                     






(This video is really cute. The kid moves out of the way and let's the dog have daddy!)


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