Just One Dog, written our own Noweasels along with Cas and DavidSeth told us this about Cpl. Megan Leavey and her partner Sgt. Rex.
Cpl. Leavey received the Purple Heart, the Combat Valor Medal and an honorable discharge. She had suffered a traumatic brain injury. Rex, whose shoulder had been injured, went back to duty, until he was too old to be of service.
Cpl. Leavey petitioned to adopt Rex five years ago. Her petition was blocked by the United States Air Force.
Today, Rex is 10 years old and in failing health. He spends his days at a kennel at Camp Pendleton in California. Cpl. Leavey wants him to spend his final days with her. (Noweasels' diary Just one Dog)
Noweasels, DavidSeth, and Cas ask that you join them in petitioning
Sen. Chuck Schumer to sign the following petition:
Senator Schumer is calling on the U.S. Air Force to reunite Sergeant Rex, an extraordinary military working dog, with his former partner, Iraq War veteran, Corporal Megan Leavey, USMC. Megan Leavey worked with Sergeant Rex to hunt down and disarm improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq to keep American soldiers safe. Both were injured in an IED blast in 2006, and the pair spent the next year recovering together from their injuries. Leavey has yet to be approved for her adoption request and is still working through the military bureaucracy to finalize the adoption.
Sign the petition now if you agree with Senator Schumer that these two American heroes should be reunited with all due speed.
Please join over 20,000 other good people and sign the petition now.
We know this is not an isolated incident. There are hundreds of Marines, Army, and Air Force veterans who go through endless hoops every year seeking to adopt their retiring animal. Good news and a proposed solution are to found after the Flying Spaghetti Monster's foot print.
First the Good News. I am member of the Board of Directors for NetRoots for the Troops. Our corporate counsel Noweasels, Executive Director TexDem and I believe that paying for Sgt. Rex's flight home from Camp Pendelton, CA to New York City is within the organization's mission. I've asked the Board of Directors to vote by e-mail to do that.
I usually feel guilty when asking you for money but I always believe in the cause. When it comes to NetRoots for the Troops, there is no guilt. Never. Reuniting Megan and SGT Rex really won't cost that much - less than $500 all told. But SGT Rex will need some medical care, so feel free to open your wallet wide and make a donation to NetRoots for the Troops .
Here's my immediate solution to the on-going problem. I want Leon Panetta, the Secretary of Defense, to issue the following order:
Proposed Military Service Animal Retirement Policy
When any Military Service Animal has reached the point of retirement, each Service Member with whom the animal worked shall be offered the opportunity to adopt that animal. Where there are multiple Service members who have worked with the animal, the offer to adopt shall be made to the Service Member with the longest relationship first.
Any Military Service Animal who is not adopted shall be placed with the nearest no-kill animal shelter and any placement fees will be paid by the branch of service the Military Service animal served.
The branch of military service for which the Military Service Animal served shall pay for transporting the Military Service Animal to the adopting veteran. For a period of 10 years following retirement of Military Service Animal the health care costs of that animal shall be paid by the branch of service for which the animal served.
Contact the Secretary at (703) 571-3343 and ask that he implement this policy immediately.
While the above is policy subject to change, for the protection of all Military Service Animals I will be contacting my members of Congress to ask that the policy be enacted by law. Please call your Congressman and Senators. Alert your local animal shelters about this situation so that they, too, can call their Congressional offices. This is a simple common sense, non-political solution.
About the Life of a Military Dog:
The military breeds about 120 puppies each year and there are currently 2,700 dogs serving alongside U.S. troops worldwide. Half the animals are German Shepherds, 25 percent are Belgian Malinois and the other 25 percent are sporting breeds like labs and mutts.
The dogs are then trained for the following tasks:
Patrol dog: these dogs are trained for four months to attack and detect narcotics or explosives. Rex is a patrol dog.
Specialized search dog: these dogs are trained for 95 days tosniff out IEDs while working off-leash from their handlers .
Combat tracker dog: these Marine Corps dogs are trained for 45 days to track humans, like enemy insurgents.
Last year, more than 320 working military dogs were put up for adoption and around 8 were put to sleep via a chemical injection.
This just In:
I just called Camp Pendleton Public Affairs for the latest information on Sgt. Rex. The Public Affairs office said that while there are 3 more steps to go through, it appears that Megan will get SGT Rex in about a week.
So, make a donation to NetRoots for the Troops - SGT Rex needs a flight home.