3 Beautiful Stray Dogs from Afghanistan in Different Stages of Rescue

Life as a stray dog anywhere is difficult, but in Afghanistan it’s particularly cruel. Strays there are often victims of not just neglect, but terrible cruelty. Hunger is only one enemy. Stoning, maiming, and shooting are some of the other horrors these dogs routinely face.

But thanks to several incredible rescue groups around the U.S., some lucky strays who bonded with soldiers there are being rescued from their nightmarish lives and brought here. Most will eventually be reunited with their soldiers and become their forever dogs.

Today we bring you a look at three strays from Afghanistan in different stages of rescue.

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The dog above is named Willie, and he is still in Afghanistan. His story is best told by a soldier who knows him. This is from the Facebook page of the excellent rescue organization, Puppy Rescue Mission.

“The locals here some how got ahold of him when he was still young, and took him. They didn’t treat him well, and even cut his ears off. The poor guy came running back to base looking for help ears bleeding. The entry control point called up on the radio saying that Willie had returned to base and was bleeding pretty bad. Me and the medics wrapped him up and nursed him back to health. I think he eats better then most of us, since we all tend to give him food when ever we eat. He mostly sleeps with me, however the whole base loves him, and he tends to sleep around with who ever calls his name first haha. To be continued …”

If you check in at Puppy Rescue Mission, you will soon see a page devoted to bringing Willie home. (The thought of this sweet dog running in a panic with the searing pain of his ears having been chopped off and coming to the American military base tears at the heart, doesn’t it?)

As I am writing this in the wee hours of Friday, Smokes is en route to the United States, with five hours to go before landing. Smokes will make his life in Massachusetts with his soldier, Evan Parker. Donors to the Puppy Rescue Mission (people like you and me) helped make this miracle change in this dog’s life come about.

Trigger, rescued by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, enjoyed some affection when he arrived at JFK Airport yesterday.

“Breathe that air. That’s war-free air.”

These were some of the first words heard by a 70-pound former stray dog from Afghanistan when he landed on U.S. soil yesterday. Trigger may not have understood their meaning, but he probably figured out that he’d ended his long journey from Kabul in a very different place from where he started — one with lots of belly rubs and affection and calm people and no ammo or mortar blasts.

About seven months ago, Trigger was found by soldiers on patrol and quickly bonded with the unit. “He’d come no matter where you were on the base when you called,” said the soldier who helped rescue him and will soon become his official owner. (He needs to remain anonymous to keep the dog and his family safe.)

“You come home at the end of a horrendous day and you’re greeted by a big, loving face,” said someone close to the soldiers. “When you’re away from everything that is familiar to you, it meant a lot.”

A second dog also became part of the unit, but when she was found dead, the soldiers vowed to get Trigger back to the U.S. safely. Thanks to the efforts of the group Guardians for Rescue from Port Jefferson, NY, Trigger is now a U.S. “citizen.” He’ll learn some basic housetraining and obedience skills in New York before heading to Washington state to meet his soldier rescuer, who is based there.He is greatly looking forward to seeing his faithful friend again, and says it will be a little “surreal.”

Sources: Newsday, Puppy Rescue Mission

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Covering Global Pet Expo is different the second time

What a difference a year makes. As we wrap up coverage from this year’s Global Pet Expo, I can’t help but look back on where I was and how I was feeling a year ago.

While I was blogging last year, I couldn’t tell you at the time how intimidated I was by the whole scene. I mean, c’mon, I had scarcely been on the Pet Connection staff a few months.  Gina (the only one on the entire staff I already knew personally beforehand) was asking me to help cover the largest pet product show in the world, being held in a convention hall that seemed to be intentionally designed to get you lost in its cavernous expanse.  I barely knew who Ericka was until we met at breakfast before the first day — that breakfast staff meeting, an hour before hitting the show floor, was also when I met Dr. Becker for the first time.

After the first day, the only thought running through my head was how much my feet hurt. Somehow (and I have to admit, I don’t remember all the details), it all went ok. Better than ok, according to Dr. Becker and Gina. I learned some important lessons through the experience.

The big, glitzy, well-lit booths in the center of the hall have the cushiest carpeting and the best food for visitors (don’t be stupid – stop by there and look interested!), but for the cool stuff you have to walk to the perimeter areas. With the “little guys,” you won’t speak to paid representatives, but instead you get to chat with the president and founder of the company. They don’t just know the products, they built them themselves. That’s a whole different ballgame. Their passion for what they do is infectious.Pace yourself and take very good notes. One small corner of the hall can easily take two hours, and in short order you can walk by hundreds of items spanning 15 categories. It’s all a blur after ten minutes. Good notes are key, so was thankful for my journalism training from way back when dinosaurs still roamed their earth…I wonder what their trade shows looked like?Your experience isn’t everyone’s experience. In our meetings, one person (sometimes that person had a beard and was named David) would say “this was absolutely the dumbest product in the hall,” and two others would immediately point out why it was actually very creative and deserving of another look. Remember our motto “Question everything” that we repeat all the time? It applies in trade shows, too. Of course, then I’d have to walk another 489 miles to get back to that product I originally didn’t like, and those booths never have the good snacks.The big staff victory dinner the last night of the trip — worth all the work that preceded it.  Let’s just say there’s nothing like a great victory meal with friends.

Another important truth: as engaging as he is on television and in print, Dr. Becker is much more magnetic in person. There’s no other way to say it. You have to meet the man to really understand what I’m talking about, and I love watching people’s reactions when they realize ‘That is Dr. Marty Becker!’ After working with her for just two days, Ericka became a dear friend, and I couldn’t wait for March 2011 to roll around so we could all be together again.

During the rest of the year, my staff role evolved.  Now, I help Gina and Christie “keep the trains running” on the blog. When it came time to strategize for this year’s GPE, the circumstances were very different. I wasn’t the new guy anymore. I knew the drill. I knew how the floor was laid out, what went into the selection process, and how the blogging process needed to work. More importantly, Gina and Dr. Becker are now in the last minute stages of preparing for the Big Bus Tour, which is like figuring out the world’s biggest Rubik’s Cube. In a phone call a week or two ago about something else entirely, Gina said in an offhand way “Oh yeah, I want you to run the coverage for us. You know what you’re doing. It’ll be fine.”

My response to Gina, no matter what she’s ever asked, has always been “Ok, I’m on it.” Here was the latest challenge. Coordinating the coverage and selection process would have been terrifying if it hadn’t involved such a tremendous team. For me, this year involved at least double the work as last year, but it’s also been double the fun. The proudest moment for me was yesterday afternoon in the press room when, after our roundtable meeting (Dr. Becker, Gina, Ericka and myself), I knew we had our list and our winner. It was a team effort, and there’s no team better than Team Becker. The products are outstanding, and although there were a few choices that required some discussion, in a way they almost picked themselves.

My biggest regret? I have to wait another whole year to do it again.

Photo credit: Team Becker at Petmate’s GPE booth

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