<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:Courier New, courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">They shouldn't be using poor dogs in the first place. It is animal <SPAN style="RIGHT: auto" id=misspell-0><SPAN>cruelty</SPAN></SPAN> to send a dog out to sniff for landmines and bombs. Make humans fight there own damn wars, and fight their own damn war on drugs. Leave God's poor creatures out of our man made messes, and I do mean MAN made. <VAR id=yui-ie-cursor></VAR></SPAN></div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Donovan J. Arnold</SPAN></div>
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<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=hr contentEditable=false readonly="true"></DIV><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com> <BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Saturday, May 12, 2012 5:22 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Vision2020] Something Ought To Be Done<BR></FONT></DIV><BR>
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<DIV><SPAN>Question: Aren't civilian law enforcement canines "retired" and adopted by their handlers once they reach a certain age?</SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN>Courtesy of <SPAN id=misspell-0 class=mark>WSBTV</SPAN> (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/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/obscure-law-makes-it-tough-military-dogs-be-adopte/nN4cw/</A></SPAN><BR><SPAN></SPAN><BR><SPAN>-----------------------------------</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN></SPAN> <BR><SPAN><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(68,68,68); FONT-SIZE: 12px" class=yiv206915706Apple-style-span>
<H1 style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; OUTLINE-COLOR: ; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; COLOR: rgb(68,68,68); FONT-SIZE: 2em; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=yiv206915706cmLargerH1>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
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<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 <SPAN id=misspell-1 class=mark>MacFarlane</SPAN> 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 <SPAN id=misspell-2 class=mark>Varkett</SPAN> survived his tour of duty in Afghanistan, because his unit included <SPAN id=misspell-3 class=mark>Nooshka</SPAN>, 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," <SPAN id=misspell-4 class=mark>Varkett</SPAN> said. "She became a little local hero, finding those <SPAN id=misspell-5 class=mark>IEDs</SPAN>."
</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. <SPAN id=misspell-6 class=mark>McFarlane</SPAN> went to <SPAN id=misspell-7 class=mark>Lackland</SPAN> <SPAN id=misspell-8 class=mark>Airforce</SPAN> 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. <SPAN id=misspell-9 class=mark>Benning</SPAN> soldier, and his unit's Belgian <SPAN id=misspell-10 class=mark>Malamoir</SPAN>, <SPAN id=misspell-11 class=mark>Zzazu</SPAN>, 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 <SPAN id=misspell-12 class=mark>military's</SPAN> 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><SPAN id=misspell-13 class=mark>Shennie</SPAN> 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?" <SPAN id=misspell-14 class=mark>MacFarlane</SPAN> asked. </SPAN><BR><SPAN></SPAN><BR><SPAN>"I was, actually. I was concerned he was going to be demilitarized," <SPAN id=misspell-15 class=mark>Shennie</SPAN> 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,'" <SPAN id=misspell-16 class=mark>Shennie</SPAN> 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 <SPAN id=misspell-17 class=mark>Varkett</SPAN> 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," <SPAN id=misspell-18 class=mark>Varkett</SPAN> said. </SPAN><BR><SPAN></SPAN><BR><SPAN>But until the loophole is closed, <SPAN id=misspell-19 class=mark>Nooshka's</SPAN> 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. <SPAN id=misspell-20 class=mark>Benning</SPAN> soldier, and his unit's Belgian <SPAN id=misspell-21 class=mark>Malamoir</SPAN>, <SPAN id=misspell-22 class=mark>Zzazu</SPAN>, are inseparable.</SPAN><BR><SPAN></SPAN><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN></SPAN><BR><SPAN>---------------</SPAN><BR><SPAN><SPAN id=misspell-23 class=mark>Shennie</SPAN> and Danny Patel had the money to adopt former Army bomb-sniffing dog Mickey.</SPAN><BR><SPAN></SPAN><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN></SPAN> <BR><SPAN>-----------------------------------</SPAN><BR><SPAN></SPAN><SPAN></SPAN> <BR><SPAN><SPAN id=misspell-24 class=mark>Seeya</SPAN> 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>
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