US Military rips away pet of deployed US Soldier shortly before Baghdad Pups can send puppy to safety in Minnesota

(This isn't my normal fare here, but I had to write about this because it is so tragic.  Please read.)

UPDATE 10-23:
Ratchet has come home!  He arrived in MN on Oct 22nd. Read about it and see some news footage here: http://www.getfreshminds.com/2008/10/ratchet-mn.html

In a little over 2 weeks, Ratchet's story spread all over the world. This post was dugg over 7000 times and reached the very top of the front page in Digg.

A petition for Ratchet's clemency was signed by over 70,000 people - from all the states in the US, and nearly 50 countries.  Articles were written about him on CNN online, the LA Times, the NY Post, USA Today and all over the world.  His story spread through Twitter, Stumbleupon, Facebook, email lists and forums.  It was front page news in both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St Paul Pioneer Press.  He's been on WCCO, KARE11 and the BBC.

The attention not only raised enough money to rescue Ratchet, it also was enough to bring 12 other "Baghdad Pups" to the US.  Absolutely amazing.

UPDATE 10-15:
Ratchet wasn't released in time to make the Baghdad Pups rescue flight today, but he was released!  Baghdad Pups is going to go back for him on Sunday: 

http://wcco.com/pets/ratchet.iraq.dog.2.841350.html

UPDATE 10-14:

Ratchet is alive, despite the fact that someone put him in a meat freezer for over 8 hours this weekend. Baghdad Pups is attempting to make another rescue attempt this week. Please keep your fingers crossed for him!

One of my good college friends is in Iraq right now.  A couple months ago, she told me about Baghdad Pups, a really amazing organization that provides medical care, clearance and transport for the animals U.S. soldiers have come to love during deployment in the Middle East. 

There are some initiatives that everyone - regardless of their political views - can agree are fabulous.  This is one of those.

Baghdad Pups gives our soldiers hope by helping them send their pets home to safety.  It's such a unique and touching idea.  I couldn't wait to write about it.

Except today, I wish I could be writing about anything else.  Because something so awful has happened that I'm writing this through tears.

My friend has been held in Iraq by the stop-loss policy for over 15 months longer than her original commitment to the military.  It hasn't been easy for her--and the puppy she saved has been one of the few things that has kept her going.

We've been hearing about her puppy, Ratchet, on Facebook for months.  She's shared pictures of him as he grew from a frightened ball of fur to an adorable young dog.  We learned when he was accepted into Baghdad Pups, and how her parents were going to take care of him until she returned home.  She's kept us up-to-date on his travel schedule, and badgered us into contributing money to bring him home.

He was supposed to be on his way to Minnesota right now.  Except he's not. 

Last Wednesday, my friend's commanding officers seized Ratchet as he was on the way to the Baghdad airport en route to his new home with her parents. 

Why?  Because:

"It is against military regulations for active duty troops to befriend animals"

It gets worse.  According to the Baghdad Pups press release on my friend's behalf:

"Soldiers can face immediate court-marshal [for befriending animals] and some even see their animals brutally murdered by a direct gunshot to the head from commanding officers who will not bend the rules."

It was so close.... Ratchet was on his way to the airport.  And now he might be killed, just because some power-hungry officers decided to flex their muscles and punish an innocent animal because Gwen dared to care about him.

And to make it even worse, she is under military investigation for caring about a helpless puppy--something hundreds of other soldiers do in Iraq.

She is absolutely devastated.  I'm devastated for her.  I cried for days last fall after the cat I rescued died of old age. I can't imagine how horrid it would be to save and love a pet, to be full of hope that he will be a part of your life after you finally come home - and to have that cruelly snatched away.

I don't know why this has happened to her.  She has been through so much already.  It's just awful.

Please help me get attention for her.  She hasn't asked, but I'm hoping that we can help her.

This horrible situation is happening to Gwen, but it affects all our soldiers overseas.  They're in a terrifying situation every day, and it's not unreasonable to let them have the simple joy of having an animal that loves them.  Is it?

As a soldier wrote to Baghdad Pups:

“I have sacrificed a lot to serve my country. All that I ask in return is to be allowed to bring home the incredible dog that wandered into my life here in Iraq and prevented me from becoming terribly callous towards life.”

Could you take a minute to help spread the word about what is happening to my friend?  We want to get news out there about her case before the military decides to "eliminate the problem" by killing her dog. 

Could you please Digg or Stumbleupon this post or send it to a friend.  Or, if you're in MN, could you call one of our senators?

All we want to do is help Gwen send home the puppy that has made her sacrifices bearable... who was already on his way to Minnesota before the military decided to punish her by seizing him.

Thank you so much for your help!

If you want to know how to help Ratchet, click here to go to my follow-up post giving an update about his situation.

Comments

[Sean]

That's the difference between American and Russia soldiers, dirtbag. And guess what? We still own your ass on any battlefield.

[Anonymouse]

I'm usually quite the pacifist, but shooting a puppy in front of me, commanding officer or not, is not a good idea. What exactly is the penalty for shooting a commanding officer in the face? And does the army accept temporary insanity pleas?

[Alex]

I am very disappointed to hear about this situation.

Some people have no heart, the US military is a disgrace to the American people and its soldiers that work to protect its country.

I spit on people who act this way towards animals and people.

[Patrick]

Colorado heard the call, my Congress members have been contacted and asked to assist. It sickens me that some little bit of good that can come during wartime is being tarnished in this way.

And to the solider that mentioned shooting dogs because they would feed on dead bodies, those are ferel pack dogs that were starving probably, so you should feel real good about yourself for that, NOT, there is a special place in Hell for you indeed. Not like you should just pick up the dead bodies or anything to start with, duh.

[Vanessa]

I'm not sure if this will help or not, but I fired off an email to the Obama campaign.

[Stephen]

Do any of you understand? Have any of you lived or seen a third world country? Dogs are like rats, they spread lice, fleas, and disease there. They are pack animals that hunt and kill domesticated animals. They are loose in small cities by the THOUSANDS here in Iraq. Soldiers live by the hundreds in incredibly small spaces. The military has rules like this to prevent disease from injuring/killing more soldiers than the war has. WWII was a prime example how mismanagement of disease threats will kill more soldiers than the enemy ever can. I cannot believe so many of you would care about the safety and life of a dog over a human being. This soldier has put the health and possibly lives of her friends at risk and absolutely should be punished.

Oh, and about the "stop loss policy..." Did you not know your friend committed to (volunteered to) that stop loss policy to serve the people of the United States? I cannot stand those that think a person should not have to fulfill their commitment, and they get no sympathy from me. If the truth comes out you will find this soldier has agreed to serve 6-8 years. After 3 or 4 she wanted out (which the army allows if you are not needed) but the Army stopped that because she is needed to fulfill more of her OWN COMMITMENT. It sounds like the author's friend has a problem living by the rules. A court martial is exactly what the soldier needs. There is no room for an individualist in the US Army. I hope the dog is not killed because I do love animals. It is funny people are saving dogs from Baghdad when thousands are put to sleep everyday in American humane societies and pounds.

To the person that called her commanding officer trash, please sign up at your local recruiting station and show the world how you would pick and choose the military regulations you would follow at the expense of soldier's lives. Ignorance.

[Sarah]

So wait... My tax money is paying for them to kill helpless animals? This is really what is best for the American people, right? These animals are terrorists, right? Just like the people of the land we invaded, right? They're terrorists, not people defending their homeland, right? Soldiers don't deserve anything that can give them hope, right?

No. Not right. This is all wrong.

[Cody Williams]

1 puppy ....... over 4,000 u.s. troops. lets focus here

[Mal]

If they can't get it right with humans is it any wonder they don't give a damn about animals...and what about the mandate in Genesis to subdue and care for all of Creation???...lost in translation? Or politics?

[theman]

@Sethra So because I have an opinion that is counter to yours, you hope that A. someone is abusing a pit bull and B. Said pit bull crushes my child's skull. Wow! Now it is true that I am an asshole, but I am a realistic asshole. Realistically we are talking about a trained killer getting weepy over a dog that probably would not be in the position it is in if there were not a bunch of trained killers running around its home. You should go over to Iraq and tell your doggie sob story to some people that lost there kids to a stray bullets or maybe you could tell it to the mothers of babies born deformed because of our use of depleted uranium. I may not seem like such an asshole after that. So as I said before, she signed up for it , she should have known what she was getting into. She gets what she deserves. Sethra I hope you and Barney have a happy peaceful life because thats the least everyone deserves.

[sdog]

What a say story. Hopefully it has a happy ending. Please keep us up to date.

[UEG VIRUS XO]

DUGG! I hope something favorable comes from this article. Most certainly we need some more personal information about this (State? Senator name? etc?) You're burning a valuable tool here by not giving us a means to assist.

[anthony]

dugg

please keep us informed as to what happens with this situation. Ratchet will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[David Mortari]

Has enough time already passed that her C.O. has forgotten about the youtube video of U.S. marine David Mortari throwing the puppy off a cliff?

If you guys were sufficiently motivated, and if the news networks weren't already busy covering the wreckage of the world's economy leaving greasy sh*t streaks around the toilet bowl on its way down, it would be really easy to rekindle the flames of animosity and turn this into a real P.R. clusterf*ck for the U.S. Army.

[ted]

That reminds me of the time I was in Uzbekistan, with the army. My buddy Mike got a dog from the the 'shitter faries' the locals who were contracted to clean the outhouses. He was a 'Uzbek Mountain Dog' very small and terribly cute. We called him 'Chow Fang' but also 'poop on shoe' because he did that one night...
He used to hang around the shop while we worked.
Well, the head honchos said to get rid of him, so we gave him back. Nothing melodramatic like getting shot or anythaing...
Anyway, your story brings me back...
good luck

[Doglover]

This is BS, I am in the military and have served in Iraq...we had many stray dogs around that we took care of. And our commander didn’t care one bit, nor have I ever heard of a regulation not to take care of animals. (The only thing I can think of is if the animal was diseased) We are not heartless zombies like Fox News makes us out to be. I call BS

[Kurazaybo]

I understand how she must be feeling right now, but I disagree. An organization like the army cannot just bend the rules for a form of life that is not even human. If it is a rule, whatever it makes sense to us or no, makes it an official statement that must be followed by everybody. This story might be hearthbreaking, but what is an army of soldiers that do not follow rules?

Every soldier must be informed beforehand of this rule and not make any attempt to break it. Sorry, rules are rules.

I think the military has more serious and controversial rules and implications and that worrying about the fate of a homeless dog is just a waste of time. As somebody already said, the army is a killing machine, and one that works to keep the "superiority" of the United states and the power of the dollar in the world. Just grow up, people. Try saving some human lifes before wasting time on animals.

[Joash]

Congrats on front page of digg I think this will work out :)

[The Eye Roller]

You guys DO realize that this is just a dog, right? What, we are supposed to forget about all the soldiers returning home f*cked in the head with post-traumatic stress syndrome from what they have been through, and think about some people's pets???? You're in the army for god's sake, you're not there to make new friends, be it human or not!

[Morel]

To Yu Gi Oh master 69,

People like you need to be drummed out.. "take that Civies?" Are you kidding me?

Yes, you may have to kill dogs that are doing the things you said, but you obviously have begun to lose the human part of yourself. You now view Civies as lower then you, less worthy, and you are somehow better.

I have no doubt you would have no problem busting down someones door and dragging them away for re-education.

You're a disgrace to the uniform that you wear and people have died for.

[800HighTech]

Right, I really don't want to seem prejudiced, but would this have happened to a guy?

(Katie's note: All I know is that I wrote to help a friend. Had my friend been male and faced this situation, I would have written about it for them.)

[Bob Pauly]

Posted to my Senator:
Senator,
As a military retiree and a veteran, I was absolutely sickened by the press release found at the SPCA's website (http://www.spca.com/press/item/56) detailing the circumstances surrounding Sgt. Beberg and the dog she rescued in Iraq. Please, PLEASE, review this story and I urge you to use whatever influence you have to save this dog's life, have it returned to the Sergeant, and above all, cease this asinine policy prohibiting soldiers from befriending animals.
One of the cornerstones of the implicit duty of the American fighting man and woman is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. There is no justifiable reason I can see that should restrict the application of this duty to human beings - and what could be more defenseless than a puppy caught in a war zone? Admittedly, I have only the information provided by the press release, but it seems self evident that if the Sergeant's care of the dog were interfering in her duties that her command would have taken action far earlier than the moment when the dog was being shipped to the US. To my eyes, this appears to be nothing but malicious, cruel, and a violation of everything we as Americans believe in.

Please, sir, lend the weight of your office to help this servicewoman and her dog.

Sincerely,
Robert Pauly
Chief Petty Officer, USCG, Retired.

[amrit]

couple of things. she joined the military and last time i checked it wasn't a paid vacation. She's over there on assignment which is to do as she is told. If she's told no pets then guess what, no pets. there are rules for a reason people don't just make them up for no reason. If that bothers you then don't join the armed forces. Also a gun shot to the head is not brutal. It's instant death most the time. and murder only applies to humans.

[John]

After about three days in the USAF, back in the late 1960's, I had an epiphany. I realized that anybody who outranked me could do pretty much anything he liked to me. I served my hitch honorably, and even made SSGT before I got out, but I did not ever once consider re-enlisting! Lifers suck!

[Sergio]

Not that I don't empathize with the Soldier, but seriously, she assumed a great risk in taking care of the dog. Every Soldier is briefed before deployment on the regulations regarding what is and isn't allowed. Taking a pet is prohibited by General Order Number 1, a rule that ALL soldiers in theater are expected to abide by. I realize that I'm coming from a different perspective than that of the average civilian, but this Soldier should have understood perfectly well that there would be consequences to her actions, regardless of her intentions.

I don't mean to sound so heartless. The situation is indeed very sad. But it was also very avoidable.