Donations Can Help Bring Marines' Dog To U.S.

[blue sky at night]

Found an interesting Article Linked from the USMC website, for all of us dog lovers here on the DU.

Across northeast Ohio, families are looking to the day when they welcome the troops back home to the U.S.

But Marines from the unit that has already sacrificed so much this past week are hoping to bring back something else with them -- a very special dog.

Covering the fence at the Marine Reserve Headquarters on Dan Street are dozens of intimate messages of support, encouragement and grief, testament to the strength of the military community.

There is a tremendous support mechanism for the families that have lost someone, and for the family that is grieving.

But for those who are still in
Iraq, a different support mechanism has been chosen in the form of a mixed breed pup named Beans.

Beans, who is so named because he was purchased for the price of three jelly beans, has become the unit mascot, and has become important to the Marines who are trying to cope with their losses.

I also found much profound sadness at the Yahoo Site, they have lots of photos of the Funerals for these brave young men. BTW, Dan Street is in Akron.
Here is the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/wews/20050811/lo_wews/2871776

[KarenInMA]

1. oh! puppy..

I am wiping away tears.. those poor boys :cry: They had enough humanity to love a dog, and they were taken away for FUCKING HALLIBUTON!!!!

[pitohui]

2. not to be a party poop but

i'm a little leery of this story

quarantine of a dog into the usa not particularly expensive proposition last time i checked, basic requirement seems to be proof of rabies vaccination, if you can't afford a rabies vaccination maybe you can't afford to feed a dog anyway

here's what center for disease control sez:

Pet dogs are subject to inspection at ports of entry for evidence of infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans. If a dog appears to be ill, further examination by a licensed veterinarian might be required. In addition, dogs must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to entry into the United States. Unvaccinated puppies younger than 4 months of age must be confined by the importer until at least 3 months of age, vaccinated against rabies, and confined for 30 additional days following vaccination. All dogs not accompanied by proof of rabies vaccination may be admitted providing the importer completes a confinement agreement (form CDC 75.37) ( PDF version formatted for print <76 KB/2 pages>). Such a dog must be kept in confinement during transit to, and be vaccinated within 4 days of arrival at, the U.S. destination and must remain in confinement for at least 30 days after the date of vaccination. These requirements apply equally to service animals such as Seeing Eye dogs. Unvaccinated dogs originating from or located for the previous 6 months or more in areas that are free of rabies are exempt from this requirement at the time of importation. Following entry into the United States, all dogs are subject to state and local vaccination requirements.

these requirements don't seem onerous & if our soldiers are so ill-paid they can't afford proper vaccinations, we have bigger probs. than shipping a dog around the planet

[KarenInMA]

3. but....puppy...

<>



am i drunk already? hmm.. maybe.

[Eloriel]

4. A year or even longer ago I saw websites about troops that

wanted either to get food for the dogs they had there or wanted to bring them home OR were being shipped out and needed a place for their stateside pets.

No offense, but I'm tired of all the cynicism. Sometimes a story is exactly what it seems to be. And sometimes, even if it isn't, we can surely afford to just drop the defenses and cynicism.

I'm worn out.

Enough DU for tonight. Never though I'd say that.

Edited: And it WAS expensive to bring them home.

AND -- NOMINATED, damn it.

[pitohui]

5. priorities

if it be cynicism to be concerned soldiers are paid so ill they can't afford to care for their own dogs, then i'll be the cynic

the issue then should be better wages not a one-time hand-out

not saying this is a scam but the numbers are not adding up for me, i've known people who imported animals, they are blowing this way up out of proportion & the motive seems to be $$$

most people unwilling to spend their own $$$ on pets should not be pet-owners

expensive is a very generic word, a few hundred dollars is less than you spend on a yr's worth of dog food, i do not consider that expensive, people who do not have a few hundred dollars saved should not have pets, what happens if there is a health emergency & you need a vet, it's the animal who pays

the issue of housing for pets left behind while soldiers are serving is a different matter, as pet-sitting services can be quite expensive, $25 a day adds up, soldiers away on tours of duty may have no choice but to find assistance, preferably from family or friends but sometimes rescue may have to assist

[blue sky at night]

6. Perhaps you don't don't know how important a dog can be....

in a land where death reigns, and people cannot be trusted at all, a dog is something you can trust. Maybe, just maybe, these guys who have seen so much destruction would like to spare just one little piece of the planet from that destruction...but then again we have people who would just abandon the dog to some other fate, or maybe just prioritize it out of existence. Oh, I forgot it could be just a scam.......sorry I wasted your prioritized time.

BTW, anyone who would hurt, or fail to protect a dog is not to be trusted in my book.

[karlrschneider]

7. You sure have a point...we have 3 dogs (& a kitty), they cost a lot

to keep fed and healthy. I am not complaining about that, but realistically, one should consider the thousands that are euthanized every day in our own country. I doubt there's any DUer who loves doggies more than I do (every one I have ever had was adopted, I have never 'bought' one...and there have been over 50) then there's the matter of just who "gets" to "own" this one if it gets repatriated, as it were? I say if there's one guy wanting it bad enough he ought to be able to figure out a way to do it. But that's just me.

[DeepModem Mom]

8. kick