April 26, 2004 --

A good friend of the Senior Dogs Project who is in the military has been stationed in Iraq since last year. Soon after arriving there, his great love of dogs (and the dogs' recognition of his feelings for them) led him to befriend a number of strays in the area of his post. Despite the friendly nature of the dogs, the military commander ordered that the dogs be rounded up and shot. A few of the dogs managed to evade the first round up, among them "Blue," a German Shepherd who had clearly been a police dog, but who is basically a lovebug. He waits quietly for our friend each morning, sitting beside his truck, asking for nothing more than a bit of attention and a few crumbs, and in return offering a wagging tail, trusting eyes, and loyal companionship. As of Monday, April 26, the commander in Mosul has reinstituted the "round up and shoot" orders and Blue's soldier was told that if Blue was still around on Friday, April 30, the commander would personally shoot him. We realize that there are many terrible things going on in Iraq and that innocent men, women, and children are dying. We don't understand the point, however, of deliberately shooting a dog who offers nothing but comfort and affection to our beleaguered troops, asking nothing in return. If you can help in any way, please do so. We may not be able to do anything to stop the horrific developments of the war in Iraq, but perhaps we can save the life of a few dogs and the faith in humanity of a troop of soldiers.

May 2, 2004 Update --

Blue's soldier wrote yesterday. He said, "I can't tell you how grateful I am to you and the other incredibly generous people who are offering assistance in this matter."

Due to the difficulties of arranging to get Blue back to the US, and the urgent need to protect him, the soldier arranged for Blue to be taken in and kept safe by a local Iraqi family. Our soldier, like others in his battalion, has befriended a number of Iraqi civilians and been helpful to them. In the particular case of our soldier, he has helped a deaf Iraqi child obtain a much-needed hearing aid. The family that agreed to keep Blue safe picked him up in their car. However, Blue -- clever and intelligent dog that he is -- looked out of the window at his soldier, saw him disappearing in the distance, and decided this was not to be. He figured out how to pull down the window in the back seat of the car, jumped out, and raced back to his soldier. The family is going to try to pick him up again today. We are hoping for the best. For the moment, there is nothing more anyone of us can do but to keep Blue and his soldier in our thoughts and hearts, hoping for the best.

The Senior Dogs Project wishes to thank every compassionate and concerned person who has responded to our initial plea for help. Since issuing our plea, we have had the benefit of important information and further thinking that we wish to share with you, and which we hope you, in turn, will pass along to others, including any media you have contacted.

The stray dog problem in Iraq can pose health risks to our troops. Many of the dogs form packs -- sometimes as many as 30 of them -- and can be unpredictable in their behaviors. They may also harbor disease. A commanding officer's duty, first and foremost, is to look out for the members of his battalion. To keep the personnel safe from any danger these dogs might pose, a commanding officer may give the order to round up the strays and kill them. Unfortunately, it seems that the killing of strays means shooting them. Given the conditions of war, there is probably little choice of method.

Not all the dogs remain in the pack, however. One of the reasons a dog may separate from the pack is to become a companion to a human. Especially in a time of war, when soldiers are far from home and their loving families, a bond with a loving canine can go a long way to bringing comfort. Once such a bond is formed, it can be even stronger than the bond we know here, safe at home, where neither we nor our companion animals are in grave danger each day. As we well know, every person who has a strong bond with a companion animal will do everything possible to protect that animal. It is an instinct that has enabled man and dog to live so successfully side by side throughout history.

Is it possible to resolve the conflicting aims of a military commander to protect personnel vs. the instinctive need of soldiers to protect the companions with whom they have formed a bond? Officially, at present, there is no way to resolve it. However, there are some unofficial avenues that have evolved and been put into place by humane groups and caring individuals. The Senior Dogs Project wishes to thank one such group in particular -- Military Mascots -- which stands ready to help save Blue and to prevent the despair of his soldier, should that ultimately be possible by bringing Blue home, safe and sound.

Again, our sincere thanks to each of you for your compassion and concern, not only for Blue, but for his soldier and all the troops in the battalion who now know about your response. It has made a positive impact on their morale.

We will update this page regularly with progress reports.

See the next update.