No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home From the Combat Zone (39 page)

Hope-Today Hope's burned leg is fully recovered except for slight stiffness. She, along with two other Iraqi cats, lives with Bruce and Pam in Virginia. The other two cats were adopted by the couple when their pregnant Iraqi mother was brought to the States and her American-born kittens needed good homes. All of them were placed with Operation Baghdad Pups' families. The three Iraqi felines are full of energy, Bruce says, and there is never a dull moment when it comes to their antics.

Last year Bruce was diagnosed with cancer and has been unable to work during his last bout of treatments. "Hope has been an excellent companion throughout this ordeal," Bruce said. "She is such a great comfort while I recover from chemotherapy. She always knows when I need a little boost and refuses to let me get depressed. She brings me hope and confidence that I'll soon be well enough to go back to work."

Jasmine-Although the Operation Baghdad Pups program requires that all animals brought to the States have to be spayed or neutered, by the time jasmine came into America, she'd already had a fling with an Iraqi tom. Weeks later Jasmine gave birth to a beautiful kitten that resembles his feral father, except this kitten is well fed and much cleaner! Jasmine and Simba, and a rescued American cat named Kilo, have been living with Thomas in southern California, where he is still on active duty in the Marines.

In the summer of 2010, jasmine pushed open a window screen and escaped. Her Marine buddy searched for weeks, but this time he was unable to locate his beloved friend. Tom prays that jasmine is alive and living with someone who loves her, and he hopes that one day they will be reunited. If any reader recognizes jasmine from her photo and knows anything of her whereabouts, please contact Terri Crisp through the SPCAI.org website. In the meantime, Tom is grateful that he still has Kilo and jasmine's beautiful Iraqi son, Simba. Unlike his mother, Simba loves to stay at home.

Tiger-Tiger has grown into a fluffy, 125-pound lovable dog that purrs like a cat when you rub his tummy. Standing on his back legs, he measures five feet eight inches. He lives on the east coast with Jessie, and their regular run along the beach is his favorite pastime. To this day, more than twenty-five people from the camp in Afghanistan where Tiger was found call regularly to ask how he is doing. Every Christmas, Tiger gets cards from Dena and the girls who raised the funds for his rescue.

"He's got rock star status as far as they are concerned," Jessie said.

While Jessie is away on deployment, she knows that Tiger is in good hands. "I prefer to be forward fighting the fight. I have a phenomenal job in the Army, and I'm proud to serve our country. When I'm out there, knowing Tiger is safe at home is an indescribable boost for me. Most people wouldn't understand what it truly means to a soldier to bring back the animal that was forward with them, staying alongside them while they served. It's a special way of bringing light into some of the darkness that is part of war. The people who helped to save Tiger will always be in my heart."

Burt-Erin is happy to report that the two-timing Burt, who `missed the boat,' managed to catch the autumn flight and made it home to America in October, 2008. He is alive and well and has grown into a big, bed-hogging cat. "Burt is fit enough to make any Marine proud," she says. "There's not an ounce of fat on him. He's all muscle."

"Burt has a few postwar quirks, just like I do. Once when I was in a bookstore, somebody popped a balloon, and it took all I had not to fall apart. I hit the ground, and then I found a corner to stand in, where it took me fifteen minutes to calm myself down and stop shaking.

"Burt does the same kind of thing. When somebody was using a nail gun for home repairs, my other animals took the sound as normal, but Burt scrambled onto my lap, and he tensed and jumped with every pop. I knew exactly what he was feeling. It's something we share. He's one of the few people I know that understands what it is like for a soldier after they return home from war. Having Burt here is such a gift; I can't describe how much it means to me.

"As Marines, leaving one of us behind is against everything in our being, and if we'd had to do that to Burt, it would have been so hard on the people at our FOB and would have absolutely destroyed me. I hope Terri and SPCA International are able to continue their work for U.S. troops. There was absolutely no way we'd have got our buddy home without her."

Mama Leesa-When Linda, one of the Operation Baghdad Pups' volunteers at the New Jersey shelter, opened Mama Leesa's crate door, the animal was too frightened to move. No amount of coaxing would bring her out. Linda reached in, scooped the dog into her arms, carried her to the grass, and gently lowered her body to the ground.

"When I put my hand on her," said Linda, "she looked deep into my eyes, as if aching for a loving touch. And that's the first time the thought entered my head, I could love this girl."

Linda fostered Mama Leesa until her owner returned, but his renewed work contracts in Iraq meant he would spend little time in the States, so Linda became Mama Leesa's new owner.

"She looked at least eight years old when she arrived, even though she was only two," Linda said. "Today she looks younger than her age, and she's a glowing, healthy girl. It took her a long time before she learned to trust people. She usually likes men, especially if they're in uniform. Sunbathing is still a favorite pastime, and she enjoys long walks. Mama Leesa stays just ahead of me when we're out; she's very alert and constantly scouting our surroundings for danger. If anyone wearing headphones approaches, carries a backpack, or appears strange to her, she will stop in front of me and shield me from harm with her body.

"I live fairly close to Bev and Barb, so I often help out with the incoming Operation Baghdad Pups. Whenever Mama Leesa sees Barb, Bev, or Terri, she recognizes them instantly and goes into spasms of delight, nearly putting her hips out of joint wagging that beautiful tail. She adores those women and has never forgotten they were the ones who rescued her and brought her home.

"Mama Leesa has the most grateful eyes of any dog I've ever known. It's like she remembers how it was and doesn't take her new life for granted. I've learned a lot from her. She's a remarkable dog, worth all the effort it took to save her."

Charlie (Contractor Kenny)-As soon as Charlie arrived at her new home in South Carolina, she spotted the lake with a pontoon platform in the middle. Never had Charlie seen a body of water, and this one was as big as a football field. She couldn't take her eyes off it. Before securing her in the state-specified ten-foot-by-ten-foot quarantine kennel, which they'd specially built on their two-and-a-halfacre property, a member of Kenny's family rowed the dog across the water to the floating platform. From there Charlie dove in for her first swim ever and had a wonderful time paddling through the water and barking at splashes when she reached the shore.

During Charlie's six-month quarantine, Jolene sat outside the enclosure every day, while the dog amused herself watching the family's pot-bellied pig, goat, and chickens from behind the chain link.

In December 2008 Charlie was given her long-overdue freedom! Full of joy, she ran and ran on the fenced-in property for three days. It seemed as if she'd never get enough running out of her system. Finally, on the fourth day, Charlie rediscovered her animal companions. Never chasing them, she took it upon herself to be their protector instead and spent all her time herding the pot-bellied pig, the chickens, and the goat.

That spring, while Charlie played in the warming sun, she stood on a nest of emerging fire ants and was stung multiple times. Before Kenny and Jolene could get her to the vet, Charlie died of anaphylactic shock. To Kenny it seemed incredibly unfair: first losing his grandchild and then his beloved dog.

Over the next sad days, a realization slowly dawned upon Kenny. Charlie had come to him needing love and protection, and that's what he and Jolene gave her. Maybe that was all she ever needed. Now, perhaps in gratitude, Charlie had taken that gift to the other side of the rainbow where she would play with his grandson and bring to the child all the love, protection, and companionship that had been so freely given to her.

Kujo-Adela reports that Matt and Kujo remain inseparable. When the 30-pound puppy came to the States, they had no idea he'd grow into his current weight of 115 pounds. "He may be big," she laughed, "but he's afraid of the strangest things. Small dogs and laundry baskets are a big worry to him, but the worst thing of all is worms. Whenever he sees one wiggling, all four of his paws leave the ground at once, and he growls like crazy."