Military working dogs now guaranteed a trip home with their handlers

Apr 2, 2018 9:38 AM PDT

1 minute read

SUMMARY

It may come as a surprise, but until President Obama signed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in November, military working dogs who were retired while overseas were sometimes left in the country in which they were deployed, separated from their handlers instead of returning back to the U.S. Sometimes the dogs would be left on the base until they were adopted locally.

A flight medic is hoisted into a medical helicopter with Luca, a Military Working Dog, during a training exercise in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Needham)

Some handlers were able to return with their dogs, but the handler would have to pay for it out-of-pocket. If the handler couldn't afford it, that was tough luck. The 2016 NDAA how the armed forces retires its working dogs. Those dogs will now be guaranteed a ride home thanks to a bipartisan amendment, which also allows their handlers to adopt them after their service ends.

US Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo

The American Humane Association lobbied for the amendment for a year. Before the bill passed through Congress and was signed by the President, theAssociation spent thousands of dollars to repatriate retired dogs and reunite them with their handlers. They handled 21 cases in 2015 alone.

Staff Sgt. Philip Mendoza pets his military working dog, Rico, wearing "doggles," during air assault training aboard a helicopter at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Rissmiller)

The Humane Association estimates there are upwards of 2,500 dogs at work with the U.S. military overseas. They believe the bond between a dog and its handler is a mutually beneficial relationship.

"It's not just those 2,500 precious canines it's also their handlers at the other end of the leash," Dr. Robin Ganzert, CEO of the American Humane Association told the Washington Free Beacon. "When they come back suffering from those invisible wounds of war, we're hoping that their four legged battle buddy will help them heal from PTS. We know it works. We've seen it work."

Staff Sgt. Erick Martinez, a military dog handler at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, uses an over-the-shoulder carry with his dog, Argo II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Allen Stokes)

The Humane Association's next push is for ongoing veterinary care for returning canine veterans.

"We also did a call to action to the private sector and said, okay guys, time to step up and provide for veterinary care," Ganzert said. "We achieved free specialty veterinary care but I'm still calling for free primary care. These handlers that are former-military, a lot of them, to have a battle buddy in their home is a grand expense."