<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div><div><span>Question: Aren't civilian law enforcement canines "retired" and adopted by their handlers once they reach a certain age?</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Courtesy of WSBTV (Atlanta, Georgia) at:</span><br><span></span><br><span><a href="http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/obscure-law-makes-it-tough-military-dogs-be-adopte/nN4cw/"><a href="http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/obscure-law-makes-it-tough-military-dogs-be-adopte/nN4cw/">http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/obscure-law-makes-it-tough-military-dogs-be-adopte/nN4cw/</a></a></span><br><span></span><br><span>-----------------------------------</span></div><div><span></span> <br><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); line-height: 14px; "><h1 class="cmLargerH1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; white-space: normal; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; font-size: 2em; ">Obscure law makes it tough for military dogs to be adopted after service</h1></span></span></div>Legislation making war dogs military members stalled in Congress<div><span><br></span></div><div><span>SAN ANTONIO, Texas — They survived running toward death and danger, but some locally trained military dogs of war are not making it home. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Instead, they're being euthanized. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Channel 2's Scott MacFarlane learned of an obscure U.S. law that is making it tough for military dogs to be adopted after their service is over. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Army Sgt. David Varkett survived his tour of duty in Afghanistan, because his unit included Nooshka, a 5- year-old dog that sniffed out an improvised bomb before it exploded. </span><br><span></span><br><span>"This dog has saved my life and many others," Varkett said. "She became a little local hero, finding those IEDs." </span><br><span></span><br><span>The U.S. military is now breeding 100 puppies a year, raising them and then training them for the front lines. </span><br><span></span><br><span>In an era of roadside bomb warfare, the bomb-sniffing dogs are remarkably useful. McFarlane went to Lackland Airforce Base in San Antonio, Texas, where Georgia military canine units are training. He said the training is exhausting and intense. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Sgt. Jarred Palmer of Georgia, a Ft. Benning soldier, and his unit's Belgian Malamoir, Zzazu, are inseparable. </span><br><span></span><br><span>"The dog lives with you, she's your best friend. She's your partner," Palmer said. </span><br><span></span><br><span>But for all the work, the military puts into training the dogs, federal law ties the military's hands in protecting the canines afterward. </span><br><span></span><br><span>A recent congressional memo obtained by Channel 2 Action News said there's an obscure federal rule technically classifying military canines as equipment, not personnel. </span><br><span></span><br><span>So animal advocates said after war the dogs aren't guaranteed transportation back home or medical care after service. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Would-be adopters would have to pay huge fees -- some in the thousands of dollars -- to foot those bills. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Would-be adopters can also be difficult to find. Many dogs sustain injuries requiring exorbitantly expensive veterinarian care. </span><br><span></span><br><span>A spokesman for the National War Dog Memorial said if no one adopts the dogs deemed too aggressive or too sick after combat, they are euthanized. </span><br><span></span><br><span>Shennie and Danny Patel had the money to adopt former Army bomb-sniffing dog Mickey. </span><br><span></span><br><span>"You were concerned Mickey was going to be put down?" MacFarlane asked. </span><br><span></span><br><span>"I was, actually. I was concerned he was going to be demilitarized," Shennie Patel said. </span><br><span></span><br><span>"I said, 'This dog is going to be put down if they don't find a home.' Twenty-four hours later, Danny says, 'Let's go get him,'" Shennie Patel said. </span><br><span></span><br><span>But she said the bureaucracy involved was maddening -- a year of red tape and unanswered phone calls.</span><br><span></span><br><span>There is legislation to close that federal loophole, to instead classify war dogs as "canine members of the armed forces" instead of equipment. </span><br><span></span><br><span>It'd require the military to ship the dogs home and allow nonprofits to help adopters foot the steep veterinarian bills. </span><br><span></span><br><span>But the bill is currently stalled in a gridlocked Congress. </span><br><span></span><br><span>David Varkett said he'd adopt his lifesaver after the dog retires. </span><br><span></span><br><span>"My wife considers her a family member too, because she brought me home to family," Varkett said. </span><br><span></span><br><span>But until the loophole is closed, Nooshka's future seems as uncertain after war as it was during. </span><br><span></span><br><span>An Air Force representative said the agency must follow all current federal laws. </span><br><span></span><br><span>The military does not have an official position on whether Congress should make any changes to the canine adoption system. </span><br><span></span><br><span>---------------</span><br><span>Sgt. Jarred Palmer of Georgia, a Ft. Benning soldier, and his unit's Belgian Malamoir, Zzazu, are inseparable.</span><br><span></span><br></div><div><img src="cid:84BEDF72-2071-49D5-A7B7-8E447BF11E91" id="84BEDF72-2071-49D5-A7B7-8E447BF11E91" width="610" height="342"></div><div><span></span><br><span>---------------</span><br><span>Shennie and Danny Patel had the money to adopt former Army bomb-sniffing dog Mickey.</span><br><span></span><br></div><div><img src="cid:5E47C878-AEE2-4F48-931F-8BA7571CB4D5" id="5E47C878-AEE2-4F48-931F-8BA7571CB4D5" width="615" height="345"></div><div><span></span> <br><span>-----------------------------------</span><br><span></span><span></span> <br><span>Seeya round town, Moscow.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Tom Hansen</span><br><span>Moscow, Idaho</span><br><span></span><br><span>"If not us, who?</span><br><span>If not now, when?"</span><br><span></span><br><span>- Unknown</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br></div><div></div></div><div></div></body></html>