A tangible way to support the troops

We're going to be hearing the phrase "Support the troops" a lot in the coming weeks, so here's a way that you can actually do something to support them: You can be a foster caregiver for their pets.

[Army Staff Sergeant Dwayne] Armour is stationed at Fort Hood, whose 48,000 soldiers make it the largest army installation in the world. The 265-square-mile base is near Killeen, 180 miles northwest of Houston.

Thousands of dogs and cats were killed on American soil during Operation Desert Storm. Soldiers like Armour couldn't find a friend or relative to pet-sit indefinitely, so they abandoned their animals on country roads or dumped them at the pound -- and animals that enter the pound usually don't leave alive.

In 1991, Killeen had a mass slaughter of military pets, says Carmen Wallace, who volunteers at Second Chance, an animal shelter in Killeen.

The Killeen pound "couldn't even hold the pets but a couple of hours," Wallace says. "They were euthanizing them left and right."

To prevent mass mutt murders and keep dogs and cats off casualty lists, Wallace is organizing a foster program. Armour saw it on the news last week; he called and the next day Wallace had several potential foster parents who promise to send him pictures and updates while he's gone.

"Time is getting short. I would never just abandon her," he says. "I was really getting depressed about it. We're getting closer and closer, and I didn't know what I was going to do."

As noted in the article, you can go to NetPets or Hugs for Homeless Animals to offer your assistance. So there you have it.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 20, 2003 to Iraq attack | TrackBack