 Barked: Wed Oct 29, '08 10:38am PST | |
 | |  | | Hi, y'all! We're brand-new here... we've been meaning to join, because this is a cause dear to our hearts-- but what galvanized us into joining today was an alert we got from Care2 that really needs to be seen by as many folks as possible.
Evidently, current military policy is to euthanize animals that are rescued by military personnel. Hope it's okay to post the article here-- it's not directly shelter-related, but is DEFINITELY rescue-related. Here's the article... --thanks!
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.
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.
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:
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: |  |  | |  |
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