End U.S. Military's Policy of Killing Soldiers' Pets

[Mom of Joy and Love]

Forwarded, with permission -- (Don't know if any of the pets are bunnies but their still God's creatures"

Help Soldiers Keep Their Pets

Hundreds of U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq have befriended 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. The
military's policy of confiscating these pets and killing them is cruel to both animals and our
troops.

Hi Sharon,
Army Spc. Gwen Beberg rescued a homeless puppy from a burning pile of trash while on active
duty in Iraq last May, and named her new friend Ratchet. She says she couldn't have made it
through her 13-month deployment without Ratchet. But Ratchet needed to be rescued a
second time - this time from the United States military.
Please tell the military to let soldiers keep their pets»
The U.S. military has a set of regulations called General Order 1A (GO-1A), which prohibits
conduct that compromises character and morale. Yet GO-1A includes a strict prohibition on
soldiers keeping pets, even though soldiers' pets provide immeasurable comfort and clearly
would enhance, not compromise, morale.
Because of these regulations, the military has a policy of confiscating and killing animals
rescued by our troops in Iraq, rather than allowing those who have sacrificed so much to adopt
and take home the animals that have seen them through the horrors of war.
Our troops and their pets should not suffer any more - urge the military to rescind GO-1A's
prohibition on keeping pets»
Ratchet was lucky. Tens of thousands of citizens like you signed a petition urging clemency for
him, and after several tries the wonderful people at the SPCA International's Operation Baghdad
Pups were able to secure his release and fly him back to Minnesota so that he would be waiting
for Spc. Beberg when she arrives home.
But many cats and dogs, and the brave service men and women who have rescued them, still
need our help. Every one of us, no matter what our opinion of the current war is, can support our
troops by asking the Department of Defense to immediately end their policy of confiscating and
killing soldiers' rescued pets.
Please stand up for all of the other Ratchets still in Iraq:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Ab0sp/xfbV/Arm73

Rebecca Young,
Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

P.S. People like you made a real difference for Ratchet and Spc. Beberg. Please forward this
email to your friends and family so we can help all of the animals rescued and adopted by our
troops in Iraq!
P.P.S. Watch Ratchet's heartwarming homecoming here:
http://www.startribune.com/video/32725779.html

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[Leaf]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the ammount of rabies cases being shipped into the US from these animals.

Operation Baghdad Pups is still active, bringing dogs in to the USA:

http://www.baghdadpups.com/

..

In February 2005, the Air Force blamed a stray dog taken in by a group of civilian contractors, presumably in Iraq, for an episode that saw 56 individuals treated for potential exposure to rabies. Sometime after the contractors took him in, the dog developed rabies, biting a few people during a four-day period. The dog died shortly after quarantine, and tested positive for rabies. Military officials made a very public fuss about the costs of post-exposure prophylaxis in this case, linking it directly to the necessity of enforcing GO-1A.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/enemies_of_the_state.html

Crusader was the first rabies case brought to the US (2008, and other animals were spread among the states that were exposed to the 11 month old dog before rabies was realized), and since his time it's been found that many of the animals being shipped in aren't receiving their vaccinations 30 day before shipment, but instead, only days before flying in.

Federal and state authorities tracked down the 23 Iraqi dogs and the cat that had been dispersed around the country. They were vaccinated and are now being held for six months in quarantine, where they are being monitored for signs of rabies, the report said. So far none have become sick. Thirteen people have also been advised to get preventive treatment for rabies.On June 10, the remaining animals were shipped to 16 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia and Pennsylvania, according to the federal report.

Keep in mind, thats 23 animals in 16 states that were exposed to people and other animals - before the rabies scare went into effect.

Also, Crusader was adopted by his soldier... 7 months before showing signs of rabies... so this issue is widespread with a very lengthy "incubation" period, putting countless people and pets at risk.

 

[gentle giants]

The rabies issue is bad, but there are steps that can be taken to ensure that doesn't happen again, and without too much diffuculty I would think. Like making sure the animals have rabies shots well before being shipped over, and a quarantine period once they get here. Those soldiers got through so much over there, they deserve every help the goverenment can give, including letting them keep their pets.