Pet Policy Gives Army - And US - A Black Eye
Doris Lin reports that Ratchet is en route to the United States, courtesy the SPCA.
From New Zealand: "A rescued Iraqi puppy is making its way into the hearts of thousands of people all over the world."
That's because the U.S. Defense Department prohibits military personnel from adopting pets (although exceptions have been made). The Army also prohibits soldiers from bringing any adopted pet home. Enter the SPCA, which has helped more than 50 four-legged companions come home to the States since last September.
As of this writing, almost 45,000 people have signed an online petition asking that Ratchet, a rescued pup, be able to accompany Sergeant Gwen Beberg, 28, when she returns home from Iraq later this year.
Beberg and another soldier rescued the 4-week old puppy from a pile of burning trash on Mother's Day. Beberg contacted Operation Rescue Pup for help, and on October 1 she put him in a convoy to the Baghdad Airport, where Operation Rescue Pup would take care of getting him to the States.
But Ratchet was confiscated "by a U.S. officer before [he] could reach the Baghdad International Airport." In the wake of worldwide attention, the Army has confirmed that the puppy is still alive but has not released his whereabouts.
Northwest Airlines has offered to fly Ratchet from Kuwait to Minneapolis.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-5), Beberg's Congressman, asked the Army last week to review the case.
On Sunday, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Beberg "enlisted in the Army for a three-year stint while she was still a student at Luther College in Iowa... Her three-year enlistment was extended by the Army's Stop-Loss policy last year and she was sent to Iraq."
Terri Crisp, program director of Operation Baghdad Pups, said the group has gotten 56 dogs and cats that had been adopted by military personnel out of Iraq... On Oct. 1, the group had flown to Baghdad to get Ratchet and 14 other animals after suspending operations during the heat of summer. Crisp said the group has tried to keep a low profile so there's no "ruckus" over the Army's no-pet rule.
"There are commanding officers there who are animal lovers and recognize that these animals make a difference," Crisp said. "We've had high-ranking officials bring out animals themselves."
Ratchet, she said, has been the only animal confiscated once the evacuation process had begun, but at least 36 other animals that soldiers were trying to get out of Iraq have been destroyed.
The SPCA hasn't entered into this program lightly. They have a clear set of rules on animal eligibility and pet owner requirements, not unlike the rules that domestic pet adoption agencies follow. (We have a rescue cat.)
On one level, I can understand the Army policy. It's a lot easier to "just say no" than to deal with the headache (and paperwork) involved with transporting an animal across international lines. (We've taken our dog with us on vacation to the Bahamas.) But I don't understand why the Army would actively interfere with a third party -- like the SPCA -- helping with a rescue as it sounds like someone did with Ratchet.
On the web: learn about Operation Baghdad Pups; sign the online petition for Ratchet.
Comments
On October 8, the CDC reported that one of the dogs shipped into the U.S. “as part of an international animal rescue operation,” intended to “reunite servicemen returning to the United States with animals they had adopted in Iraq,” was confirmed to have rabies.
In addition, reported the CDC, a total of 24 additional animals in the shipment could have been exposed to the rabid dog and were distributed to 16 states.
This DoD’s goes back to the fact that Iraqi veterinarians are typically prohibited from treating (or even handling) dogs, because they are considered “unclean” animals under Islamic law. As a result, many dogs in Iraq suffer from serious diseases which can endanger humans, including rabies and leishmaniasis.
The policy is cold, but not without reason.
Robert
Policies change and there are always exceptions to the rule. The SPCA is a respectable organization which is bearing the brunt of the rescue operation and the medical care required for the pets before they can leave. So let them bring that dog home. I hope Ratchet and his soldier live a long, happy life together.
Thanks, Robert — as someone who has negotiated the vet visits and paperwork requirements to transport a pet across international lines, I “get” the need for health confirmation.
I’m a little surprised at the CDC report, however, for two reasons.
(1) Quarantine is not an unreasonable or unusual requirement when animals move across international lines. If Iraq is “known” to have issues with vets, then quarantine is a reasonable policy. Quarantine is quite different from “ban.”
(2) How would other animals have been exposed to rabies during transport? They are all in individual cages. [pause] The answer is that they were co-mingled while “in quarantine” after arrival. And the 30-day “confinement” requirement seems to have been waived or ignored.
So the problem isn’t “rabies” per se but a failure to properly manage risk per standard CDC practice.
Note also that this was in June and “No clinical signs consistent with rabies were reported in the animals during 20 days of follow-up. All 24 animals continue to be monitored during the 6-month quarantine period.”
Hi, Ellen:
I agree with you about SPCA being a respected organization. It’s troublesome to read in the CDC report that they did not vaccinate the dogs 30 days prior to shipment to the US, per regulation. Of course, it’s also troubling that this failure did not translate to what is supposed to be a mandatory quarantine of 30 days if that first requirement isn’t met.
An animal lover myself and owner of three cats, I can’t help but notice that these kind of stories are shockingly attracting the public attention from the reality of what’s happening in Iraq. No offense intended to anyone obviously. I read that a US airline would organize the dog’s transfer. At the same time, thousands of Iraqi Christians are simply slaughtered by the Shia majority put in power by the USA, because the USA refuse to give them a safe heaven… under very similar policies to the ones applying to this dog. So, yes, I find that story sad, but frankly, it hardly hits my radars.
Hi, Alphast — I’m sad to report that in the US it takes stories like this to get Iraq bumped to the front of the newspaper. :-/
Soldiers are prohibited from adopting pets in the Iraq theater of operations under General Order 1A, and all troops serving in theater are fully aware of this order. The order is in place primarily because unvaccinated strays pose a health threat to our soldiers. I have absolutely nothing against this dog being rescued from the trash pile, but it should have ended at that. SGT Beberg placed her fellow soldiers and herself at risk by harboring an unvaccinated stray dog, and she should be disciplined, not applauded.
Perhaps if the thousands of naiive people who signed the petition would pay as close attention to the plight of the untold numbers of animals abused in puppy mills here in the U.S., more good would be done than simply saving one stray dog.
You know I am surprised at the fact of how many people really don’t care about this issue. I am currently in Iraq and unless you have been here and understand what each individual Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine goes through then you truly do not know what it means when a Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine is finally allowed something that they have bonded with. As far as the threat to the Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine, that is why the Army/Navy/Air Force/Marine Corps have veterinarians. I say if the Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine is willing to do everything he/she can in order to keep that animal then he/she should be allowed to keep it.
Hi, Javier - thank you for your comment. As with most issues, the “right/wrong” divide is not clear cut. My sympathies, however, lie with those who are trying to adopt.