army dog

[Floridays]

I've always been a major softie when it comes to animals, and especially animal abuse. It makes me want to cry when I see a dead animal on the side of the road. But this is total bulls***. This dog was such a bright spot in these soldiers' lives. I just don't get it.
army dog

 

[Big Easy King]

That's very sad! :-( RIP Apache.

 

[Trail Nazi]

Those dirty rats for killing something that brightened the soliders day. Let's make it more miserable for them by following every rule to a "t".

 

[el Guapo]

I love dogs way more than I really should. They have a very special place in my heart. And they have a long history of being with men in wars. But they are also a wildcard that can, in rare cases, get the soldiers killed.

My Dad's compound had a dog in Viet Nam and my unit had a stray dog briefly in Iraq. I've seen many soldiers kill loose dogs on the battle field, and especially those that became corpse scavengers. War is hard on everyone, especially the little creatures. Dad's dog was killed by the VC during an attack, and ours was, we believe, eaten by refugees.

Sad. I feel for these guys.

 

[ludes98]

OK I'll bite. I am a dog lover, but I say the dog should have gone. I didn't say destoryed or killed. An Army camp is not the firehouse and is not appropriate for pets. Soldiers have a job to do and packing Apache's food or a blanket just isn't part of deployment.

 

[Gedunker]

The enlisted men loved Apache because he growled at officers and the officers hated Apache because he nipped a Captain. That was one mart dog IMO. A very sad ending, to be sure.

 

[BiteMeElmo]

They tried their hardest right to the end to be as humane as possible. Apache's end was unfortunate, but probably ultimately necessary. As much as I love dogs, I hate to say that's true. RIP little guy.

 

[Rem]

Australian Troop's Pet Dog

Coincidentally I saw a report on TV last night about some Australian troops in Baghdad. It wasn't the main part of the story but they made reference to a dog they had adopted (or had adopted them). Here is an extract, Peter Cave is the interviewer:

PETER CAVE: The soldiers of the security detachment also have another secret weapon.
What is the story with this black dog that's been following us all day?
MAJOR MARK HORN: The dog's name is Anthrax. I believe it got its name when it was kicked out on the front gutter.
One of the fellows made a joke over the radio, saying it might be a weapon of biological warfare and another fellow laughed and said, "Ha, ha, it's Anthrax", and that was that.
PETER CAVE: So he's been known as Anthrax ever since?
MAJOR MARK HORN: Her name is Anthrax.
PETER CAVE: She patrols with you every day?
MAJOR MARK HORN: Not every day but, yeah, she does come out on patrol on occasion, and in actual fact, the locals seem to have taken to that quite nicely and they all look for her on occasion as well.

If you want the full story, it is here.