Baghdad Pups

The Tampa Tribune reported this week on St.Petersburg's Marine Lance Cpl. Matt Kirchgraber, who is continuing a trend among soft hearted Americans fighting overseas; he brought home a stray. Kujo, a shepherd mix, was just a few weeks old when Kirchgraber found him in Baghdad, huddled next to a dead litter mate in the snow. The marine nursed the puppy to health and with the help of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Baghdad Pups program, Kujo found his way to America. He came over on the same plane as Jasmine and Hope, two cats who were also rescued with help from Baghdad Pups.

The Baghdad Pups program started in September of 2007, when a soldier wrote for help in bringing a border collie named Charlie to the U.S. Charlie had been adopted by the soldier's unit in Iraq and they couldn't imagine leaving him behind in that war ravaged land. It seems the rewards go both ways between soldiers and dogs. The dogs give the soldiers something to look forward to, remind them that there is more to the world than war and help them forget that war for brief periods. I imagine the bond that forms between people and animals in that situation, must be almost unbreakable. I wonder whether these animals will be therapeutic to the soldiers who will spend part of their lives recovering from the trauma of war.

The SPCA requires animals meet certain criteria to be considered for the Baghdad Pups program. Among other factors, the animal must have been found by the military as a puppy or kitten under three months of age, and cared for by one soldier or one unit for at least two months. One person must agree to provide them a permanent home in the states. That home must be a safe environment and the owner agrees to spay or neuter the animal within thirty days of their arrival in the U.S. Animals are also vaccinated and screened for health problems. They are required to be socialized with no signs of aggression towards people.

According to a Washington Times article in April of this year, the SPCA gets several requests a week to help transport animals from Iraq and Afghanistan. By April of last year , they had successfully shipped six animals to new homes in America. They hoped to accomplish the transport of 45 more animals by this summer. The cost per animal is roughly $4000 and requires tedious planning. This seems a unique situation in the history of war. I'm sure these Americans aren't the first soldiers to have bonded with animal's they encounter in war. But they may very well be the first to adopt those animals and bring them home.