Friday, January 19, 2007

Deployment and pets

I'll admit, I hadn't given any thought to this. I forget that not all single soldiers live in the barracks, especially National Guard or Reserve soldiers, and that there are couples where both are in the military.

Pets become war casualties

There is a shelter on Fort Bragg that takes in strays but is not taking pets that are surrendered, Shannon Lynch said. She is a spokeswoman for Womack Army Medical Center and Fort Bragg veterinary services.

There are private groups that help military families, Lynch said, and efforts are under way on post to set up a foster program to help deployed pet owners.

That means local shelters are trying to find homes for pets.

The Haven is getting between eight and 10 requests a day from military pet owners who are trying to find a home for their pets, Speer said.

Some owners are looking for temporary homes — families that will foster pets until the owners return. Others, Speer said, have no choice but to give up their pets for adoption.

“We’re desperate for people who are willing to do long-term fostering,” Speer said, “especially those who are willing to adopt older cats and medium to large dogs.


How sad. The very last line though, nearly brought me to tears-

“We really have to solve this problem as a community,” she said. “It is unacceptable that the last thing a soldier does is put an animal to sleep before going to war.”

Indeed. If you are able and willing, would you please consider supporting our troops by fostering or adopting a military pet? Call your local military installation (don't forget about the National Guard!) and local no-kill shelters and see if there is anything you can do to help.


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3 Comments:

At January 19, 2007 8:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I imagine that this is an issue that many people don't even consider or pass right over, but it's so important! Thank you for the informative post bringing a constantly evolving problem to the forefront.

 
At January 19, 2007 9:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you. I'm sure this is a significant problem in my area as well, since we have such a large military presence here. I'll see if I can bring in another dog as a long-term foster.

 
At January 22, 2007 11:29 PM, Blogger Alicia said...

Thanks for this post! I think the first step is to call my apartment complex and see what their policy is on pets, but if they'll let me set it up, after I get back from visiting you, I'll see if I can foster a cat. (not ready to adopt yet--but when I do it'll be an older cat).

 

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