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December 4, 2012

Puppy Rescue Mission


We all love our dogs. They're part of our family. My two mutts are pampered puppies that bang on their crates when they're ready to get up and greet me at the door each evening. Even on the worst day, they make me smile and warm my heart. They're spoilt rotten, but I couldn't imagine leaving them behind or giving them up.

If you were a soldier in Afghanistan or Iraq and you befriended a dog while you were there, could you walk away and leave your friend behind?

I'd never heard of Puppy Rescue Mission until a lady in my Yoga class, who is a volunteer for PRM, was talking about picking up a dog at the airport.  She told me to go to their Facebook page and take a look. There I saw soldiers cuddling dogs. Their page says, "It's so funny how something as simple as a puppy can make even the hardest, toughened soldier melt upon a few kisses to the face." PRM's mission is to help soldiers bring their battle buddies home."


Never having been in war, I couldn't imagine a soldier finding a dog in a strange country and becoming attached to that dog. But after you think about it, it makes perfect sense. You're experiencing the most stress you'll ever experience, going out on patrol not knowing if you'll return. Away from home and the people you love in a strange land surrounded by people who are in the same stressful situation.

Then you find two puppies abandoned in a ditch soaking wet and shivering from the cold. They're so young you don't know if they'll survive, but the thought of watching something else die, is heartbreaking. So you wrap them up in a blanket, keep them warm and dry and feed them baby formula taken from the Med-Station. While on guard duty, every few hours a soldier would feed the small babies.

With all the love and attention given to the puppies, the dogs Athena and Carl, have grown. They've doubled in size and begun to eat solid food. They're playful and fun, Athena terrorizes Carl who likes to cuddle. These two puppies have helped raise the morale and given twenty-five soldiers something to smile about. But they don't want to leave them behind. They want to bring them home to America.
This is just one story. There are so many stories of dogs that have helped our solders. No, they're not military dogs, but rather dogs that have befriended our soldiers and made their lives a little happier while they were away from home.

Could you go off and leave your dog behind when you went home? Puppy Rescue Mission raises funds to help soldiers bring the dogs home. Many of the animals come home before the soldier does and they are taken in by foster families, or the soldier's family takes care of the dog until he/she returns home.   http://www.thepuppyrescuemission.org/home

Animals bring us joy. They make us forget about the stress in our lives and are members of our families. Petting your dog for five minutes will lower your blood pressure. They soothe us and make us smile. Can you imagine the joy these special dogs, must bring our solders?

Please go to Puppy Rescue Mission on facebook or their website and make a donation. It costs thousands of dollars to bring a dog home. This Christmas ten percent of the sales from The Reluctant Santa http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Santa-ebook/dp/B009TGLJHE will be donated to Puppy Rescue Mission.

Tell me how much joy your dog or cat brings you. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a drawing for a 2013 Puppy Rescue Mission Calendar. Hurry home to America, Athena and Carl.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Love this blog post. I love dogs and am happy to know that someone else cares, too. I can see how a loving dog can totally win over a soldier, they're probably the best things about the country the men are serving in.

Sylvia said...

Thanks Madeleine! Dogs are only wanted for fighting in Afghanistan. They are often abused. The story of the two puppies found in the ditch really got to me. I can't imagine someone just leaving dogs to die like that. But then again, they don't have animal shelters over there.

Kim Reisdorf said...

Great article Sylvia, i think it's great that you are donated some of the proceeds from your book to this great cause. I'm alittle bit of an animal lover myself. I currently have 4 dogs and 3 cats. Done tons of fostering and love to help out at the shelter when able. Thanks for all you do Sylvia.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

What an incredible post, Sylvia! Thank you so much for sharing.

Eva's Flowers said...

I don't have animals currently, only because I work long hours and don't feel that I would spend a lot of time with them, I don't want them to feel neglected, so I'll wait until I can spend more time...But we did have several Chihuahuas as I was growing up, some of the best pets I've ever had. The oldest one Tiny, he would hear me get home and even before I put the key in, I could hear his tail waggin' and hitting the wall, he would get so excited when I got home :)

Angel Payne said...

stocedui229OMG this touches my soul. THANK YOU Sylvia. Going to go make a donation right now.

Sylvia said...

Thanks Kim!! You are an animal lover with 7 pets. I would love to get another little dog, but my husband keeps saying no and I know in my head he's right, but my heart says one more. Kim, I wish I could do more, but one step at a time.

Sylvia said...

Thanks Vickie! You know I'm a big ole softie. You have two adorable dogs as well.

Sylvia said...

Hi Eva,
My grandmother had Chihuahua's and they are very loyal little dogs. When she passed away my parents inherited her dog and now she follows my dad from room to room and sits in his lap. Plus when we come, she always runs over and says hello. It's the cutest thing.

Sylvia said...

Hi Angel,
It's so good to see you here. I know you love Soldiers (love the photos) and this organization touched me so much. It costs $5,000 to bring a large dog back to the states. The smaller ones around $3,000. My friend meets the planes at DFW Airport and helps them get the puppies to their foster homes. One of these days I'm going out to meet them, but right now I have to work. Thanks for the donation.

Unknown said...

Absolutely adore this post, all people who care for our furry friends and those who commented here. I too have a weakness and am in awe of the strength and courage the little guys display and how they are role models for humans. We can all learn from them.

It's only appropriate the PP would light up the blogosphere with such a fabulous conversation. Love you guys.

Sylvia said...

Karen,
Thank you so much!! So good to see your smiling face.

Unknown said...

Love this! I can't think of anything more worthy than helping our troops in this way. I can remember how much comfort I got from my cat when my mom died so I can understand how the troops would find comfort with these dogs. Thanks for pointing me to their site.

Sarah Brabazon said...

Sylvia, what a heart-warming post! it is very expensive to transport animals. After seeing so much death, those soldiers must really need their unconditional love. I hope the charity does well.

Sylvia said...

Hi Karla,
I hope you enjoy reading the stories on their site and seeing the pictures.

Sylvia said...

Hi Sarah,
Thanks! I wish I could say I thought up the charity. I was just led there by a friend. I can't imagine what these soldiers must see and deal with every day. I'm glad some of them have animals to brighten their day.

Bantering of a Beautiful Mind said...

LOVED THIS! Great job Sylvia! The Puppy Rescue Mission is AMAZING!

Sylvia said...

Thanks Kim!! And thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you.

Unknown said...

I am a happy rescue dog owner so this is an amazing thing. Love it!

Sylvia said...

Hi Angie,
So glad you stopped by. I appreciate you guys.

Unknown said...

My dog Jack is like one of my kids. He makes me smile, makes me crazy, makes me laugh... he has made my life better. I am not a soldier, but having my little friend enriches my life. I believe our heroes little friends deserve to be with their humans. and I think if they have enriched our heroes lives as my Jack has mine, then we need to do everything we can to make reunions happen. thank you to the Puppy Rescue Mission for making the reunions happen.

chris k said...

My current german shepherd and my previous german shpeherd were both rescue dogs-

This reminds me of the folks who refused to evacuate during katrina because they wouldn't leave their pets behind.

I know I couldn't and I think helping these soldiers bring home their furry family is a great idea.

so glad you posted

Sylvia said...

Thanks Lisa and Chris for stopping by. I'm hoping that we can help them bring just one dog home this holiday season.