Iraqi puppy in adoption controversy alive, military says(Ratchet)

[RamboLiberal]

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi puppy adopted by an American soldier but refused a flight to the U.S., is alive, the military said today, giving hope to an animal rescue group that is trying to take it to the United States.

The case has cast a spotlight on Defense Department rules that prohibit soldiers in the U.S. Central Command, which includes Iraq, from adopting pets or transporting them home.

Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg, 28, of Minneapolis, tried to send Ratchet home with the help of Operation Baghdad Pups earlier this month as she prepared to leave Iraq. But the dog was reportedly confiscated by a U.S. officer before it could reach the Baghdad International Airport, raising concern about the animal's fate.

U.S. military spokesman Lt. Cmdr. David Russell said in an e-mail that the dog was alive, but he could provide no other details or comment on the effort to take it to the United States.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6057081.html


In this photo provided by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis is seen with Rachet, a puppy she and another solider rescued from a burning trash pile in Iraq.

[jsmirman]

1. I want to believe

I have a hard time trusting them. And they should do the right freaking thing and send those dogs home (as in to their new caretakers).

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I cannot understand the stupidity and stubborness of those bureaucratic idiots...

[stray cat]

3. Best wishes to the two! Dogs with rabies were sent to families in the last batch

I wonder if thats causing problems

[RamboLiberal]

4. One Dog had rabies among all they've brought back

In June, a dog brought back to the U.S. by Operation Baghdad Pups tested positive for rabies after it was euthanized for other health concerns. That prompted a public health investigation, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended immediate vaccination and six-month quarantine for the other animals on the shipment.

SPCA International spokeswoman Stephanie Scroggs said the group meets agency requirements that specify animals that have not been vaccinated for at least 30 days prior to entering the United States be quarantined for at least 30 days.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6057081.html

With proper screening no reason for the military to be asses about this.

[stray cat]

5. agreed -they just need to extend the quarantine it sounded like

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. Are they sending him to Gitmo or keeping him in Abu Ghraib? nt