Operation Baghdad Pups!!!
In my entry yesterday about Cinnamon, the dog saved and adopted by serviceman Mark Feffer, I spoke about Mark’s sister, Christine Sullivan. Check it out by clicking here. She wrote a book about Cinnamon’s journey to America and how the dog was almost lost forever. After contacting Christine, I ordered her book, “44 Days out of Kandahar: The Amazing Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desprate Search to find Her” and I look forward to reading the details of this inspiring story and hopefully conducting an interview with the author that I will write about later.
In a return e-mail from Ms. Sullivan, she asked if I could bring attention to the cause of Operation Baghdad Pups. This is an initiative of the SPCA International to help bring pets (both dogs and cats) to the USA and out of wartorn Afghanistan and Iraq. The conditions for these animals are deplorable. Many are found starving and near death. Many servicemen “adopt” these dogs and share their lives with them. However, once the troops have to move on, they have to leave their new companions behind as military regulations do not allow for dog transport and ownership. The efforts of SPCA International through Baghdad Pups is to bring as many of these dogs home as possible. Check out the video here to see.
Bringing these dogs home to the United States is no easy endeavor. The dogs must have been vaccinated for a period of at least 30 days prior to their departure from Iraq. If the dogs have to be transported to another country prior to departure for the United States they are required to be quarantined for at least 30 additional days. During that time, the dogs have to be fed and boarded before they will be able to get on a plane for the next leg of their journey. Airfare for the dogs directly from Iraq can be as much as $1200.00. If the dogs have an indirect journey, they costs can be much higher.
These dogs have kept many of our troops safe and provided comfort to these men and women so far from home. Please help in any way you can. Go to the website and check it out. You won’t be sorry you did and you may be able to help both our servicemen/women and their dogs along the way.
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