Evacuating Working Dogs from Afghanistan
Episode description
Co-founder of Mission K9 Rescue, Bob Bryant returns to discuss the organization's recent success and ongoing mission to return military and contract working dogs from their deployments around the world as the animal's tour of duty ends due to illness, age, or loss of work drive. In many instances MWD are reunited with their longtime human handlers but without any financial support from the US military. The situation with CWD isn't as simple as these animals typically have no dedicated handler, which is why rehabilitation and adoption funding by groups like MK9R is critical for this group of service dogs. With the recent drawn down in Afghanistan, MK9R worked with the Taliban through a third party rescue on the ground to evacuate several of nearly 50 Canadian dogs under US military control that remained after the US departure.
The circumstances around the laws and absent funding over the long term transport and post service care of these animals is complex and demands public intervention to ensure these canine service members receive the medical and behavioral care and best possible lives during their years of service and throughout their post service lives. While things have improved somewhat for those dogs classified as MWD, leaving any behind with no care or in the hands of our enemies (historically in Vietnam, MWD were euthanized or set to roam the jungles rather than returned to the US) as is the usual case with CWD is unacceptable.