Update on Iraqi Dog - Ratchet

We were delighted to read the following article on the Iraqi dog, Ratchet as
reported on www.zootoo.com

"October 20, 2008
Iraq Dog, Ratchet, Finally Comes Home
By Amy Lieberman

After two thwarted rescue attempts, Ratchet, a stray dog adopted by a U.S. Army specialist in Iraq, is on his way back to the United States.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ratchet, the military dog detained by the U.S. Army in Iraq for the past few weeks, is slated to arrive in Washington, D.C., today.

This marks the third and final rescue effort for Ratchet, a six-month-old stray U.S. Army Spc. Gwen Beberg rescued from a burning pile of trash in May.

After Beberg was notified that she was to transfer bases two weeks ago, she contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International and put the puppy on a convoy with soldiers heading toward the Baghdad airport.

Along the journey, however, Ratchet was confiscated by the U.S. Army, as Pet Pulse previously reported.

The SPCA International dispatched volunteers to rescue the dog last Wednesday in hopes of bringing him to Beberg's parents' Spring Lake Park, Minn., home.

While the military gave the dog clearance to leave the country on Wednesday afternoon, the action didn't come soon enough. Ratchet missed his flight with five other strays, accompanied by Terri Crisp, Operation Baghdad Pups' program manager.

Crisp returned to Baghdad on Sunday. She and Ratchet are now expected to arrive at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., this afternoon.

"Today, the old saying is proven true, 'the third time's a charm,' " SPCA's press release, issued today, said.

Ratchet's story has sparked a frenzy of media coverage, political support and attention from the public. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, (D-Minn.), and Norm Coleman, (R-Minn.), have both campaigned on Beberg and Ratchet's behalf.

More than 67,000 petitioners have also voiced support for Ratchet's return.

According to the U.S. Army's General Order 1A, service members are prohibited from "adopting as pets or mascots, caring for, or feeding any type of domestic or wild animal."

Military officers have often looked the other way, though, and allowed soldiers to train and house stray dogs and cats, which provide them with much-needed comfort, SPCA International spokeswoman Stephanie Scroggs says.

Ratchet will now be cleared through the Center for Disease Control and "given a thorough medical evaluation by a local Virginia veterinarian," the SPCA release said.

"As long as Ratchet receives a clean bill of health, he will fly to his final destination, Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday."

Northwest Airlines, a Minnesota based airline company, provided for Ratchet and Crisp's flight from Kuwait to Minneapolis.

Operation Baghdad Pups is an SPCA International program that relocates military dogs and cats from the Middle East to the U.S.

Since its first mission in September 2007, Operation Baghdad Pups has rescued and transported more than 50 dogs and cats unofficially adopted by U.S. servicemen.

Beberg is on a 15-month deployment to Iraq and is expected to return to Minnesota sometime in November, her mother Pat Beberg told Pet Pulse."

We at Canine Element send warm wishes to Ms. Beberg for her service and her dedication to Ratchet. Welcome Home!

U.S. Military Commanding Officer Seizes Soldier's Dog

As if we don't have enough problems with the morale of our troops, now The SPCA International reports in their newsletter the following story:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC October 1st - Operation Baghdad Pups is a SPCA International (www.SPCA.com) initiative created to provide medical care, clearance and transport for the animals our U.S. soldiers have come to love during deployment in the Middle East. Today, the United States military committed a crime against their own mentally wounded U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. Commanding officers ordered the confiscation of a dog, Ratchet, befriended by a group of soldiers during a 15th month of deployment. Ratchet has been a lifeline to Sgt. Gwen Beberg. This morning, Ratchet was on his way to SPCA International rescue experts at the Baghdad Airport to be flown home to Gwen's parents in Minneapolis, MN when Sgt. Beberg's commanding officers ordered Ratchet confiscated and held in Iraq to face certain death.

“This year has been extremely difficult on my daughter and her family. It has been a year of disappointments, loneliness, and fear because of all the sacrifices the army has required of Gwen. Ratchet was the savior of her sanity. Now they have cruelly ripped Ratchet away from her and sentenced him to death. I don't know how my daughter will cope. Ratchet has been her lifeline,” explains Sgt. Beberg's mother, Patricia Beberg. Gwen Beberg, a decorated soldier, has been held by the military more than 15 months past her original commitment due to the stop-loss policy and now the military that asked extraordinary sacrifice from her has crushed her by ripping her lifeline away. Now, Sgt. Beberg is under military investigation for befriending the dog that saved her life.

It is against military regulations for active duty troops to befriend animals - Soldiers can face immediate court-marshal and some even see their animals brutally murdered by a direct gunshot to the head from commanding officers who will not bend the rules. Hundreds of U.S. soldiers in the Middle East befriend animals in the war zone to help themselves cope with the hardship and terror they face every day. These dogs and cats become their lifeline - saving them from deep depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The military refuses to help or formally recognize the lifeline these animals give to our mentally wounded soldiers. Veterans returned from Iraq are committing suicide at twice the rate of average Americans. The dogs and cats befriended by our troops rescued by Operation Baghdad Pups are providing proven pet therapy to soldiers who may otherwise suffer from PTSD and deep depression."

This is a disturbing and tragic story. Is a little bit of compassion too much to ask for these days?