Silent Heroes: Honoring War Dogs This Memorial Day

05/27/2011

In honor of Memorial Day, my esteemed colleagues Lulu Schmoo, Zazou & Kiki here at The Daily Treat would like to recognize all the incredibly brave, selfless men, women and service & military dogs that have given their lives for our country.

No Longer Left Behind

War dogs have been silently fighting for on our behalf for decades and up until around the year 2000, most of these brave and dedicated souls were actually left behind, literally abandoned -- by the military despite having loyally loved and protected their soldiers in battle. In fact, after the Vietnam War, only 204 of an estimated 4,900 war dogs returned to the United States, according to military dog organizations. 

Thankfully, this practice changed in the year 2000 when President Clinton signed a law allowing the dogs to be adopted. Last year, 338 dogs were adopted, including 34 that were given to police departments or other government agencies.

Military Dog Adoptions on the Rise

In fact, just this week MSNBC released a story indicating that life after the military is looking brighter than ever for America's four-legged veterans since one of their own helped in the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. War dog organizations say the number of people asking about adopting retired military canines has risen dramatically since the mission involving Cairo, the Navy SEALs dog tasked with tracking anyone who tried to escape from bin Laden's compound and alerting the special operations forces to anyone approaching.

To learn more about these incredible heroes and their stories or to learn about how to adopt and/or support retired war dogs, visit USWarDogs.org or Military Working Dog Adoptions.

 

Comments

[Janet Dufresne]

Thankyou to all our heros. You truely deserve more than a simple Thankyou. My father fought in the vietnam war and I was blessed to have him come home,so I know the importance of all that the service men and women and Dogs and horses have done and still do.Anyone willing to lay down their life for our freedom should be soluted and appreciated for all they do wheather it is a man woman or animal. And lets not forget that we are the reason they do it and pay it forward to show them we care and are there to back them up. Thankyou for putting this out there for all of us to share and please pray for all those that are still fighting for us.May God be with you.

[Steluta Dan]

Onoare prietenilor nostri patrupezi,cazuti la datoria de a-si salva camarazii in luptele pentru libertate ! Dar noi, oamenii,oare facem suficient pentru ei ? Sa-i cinstim si sa-i iubim,macar tot atat cat ne iubesc ei pe noi ! Cinste lor !

[Cathie]

Great story,thank you.Even though I am Australian your story touched me.My grandfather served in the Australian Armed Forces in WW1 and WW2.In WW1 he was a Tunneler in France.He always loved animals and I remember that he used to talk about his concern for all of the animals left behind in war zones.Bless all of the men,women and animals past and present.Stay safe.

[LeeAnn]

Shame on us for allowing these wonderful, loyal, brave animals to be left behind. Thank GOD we have grown into a more compassionate society towards animals and can now recognize their value family pets, once retired, as they were valued as soldiers.

[LeeAnn]

Shame on us for allowing these wonderful, loyal, brave animals to be left behind. Thank GOD we have grown into a more compassionate society towards animals and can now recognize their value family pets, once retired, as they were valued as soldiers.

[Mike Lemish]

Thanks for getting the message about these wonderful animals out there. After WWII thousands of military working dogs were retrained and returned to their handlers or cilivilians. It was not until 1952 that the government began classifying dogs as equipment.
ARF!/Mike Lemish/Military Dog Historian/www.K9writer.com

[Janet McCulley]

Thanks so much for your comments -its been incredibly moving to learn the history of these silent heroes and their incredibly brave two-legged handlers too : ). Thanks for the clarification k9writer!

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i like that dog too

[Cristina R.]

In my country we say: the more I know people, the more I love my dog!
I dont think dogs would choose to go to the war if we asked them!!! We should learn from our dogs, they are faithful, our best friends and companions.

[bullet express]

Cairo, the Navy SEALs dog tasked with tracking anyone who tried to escape from bin Laden's compound and alerting the special operations forces to anyone approaching.

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wow never thought much about war dogs, thats a hard gig