They say, "If you love your freedom, thank a vet."
We add, "And his dog."
There are 2,500 military dog/handler teams across all four branches of our military. Since World War II every war that America has participated in has had highly trained dogs, with their extraordinary sense of hearing, smell and intuition as well as their amazing strength and endurance. They sniff for IEDs & drugs, track, alert their handlers to enemy action, attack the enemy on command and save an average of 150 - 250 service members' lives each. We certainly all remember Cairo who led Seal Team #6 in eliminating Osama bin Laden.
But these extraordinary animals are first and foremost dogs. They love to run, play tug of war, chase a ball and, yes, enjoy doggie treats.
A tip of our paw to Dr. Chris Gaylord of North Slope Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Chris, who blogs in this space every month, is heading up Operation Military Care K-9 right here in Brooklyn. He wants to thank and celebrate our military dogs in the way they understand best – with treats and toys.
Brooklyn Bark and our partners are thrilled to support this project. Our good friends at Honest Kitchen and Wellness (parent company of Old Mother Hubbard) forwarded cases of great treats. On the advice of our Assistant Bark Master, Remy who is herself a German shepherd, we ordered an armload of tug-of-war ropes, JW rubber hard balls and rawhides for the her military cousins. And we gathered up all the extra shammy "Wipe your Paws with Love" golf towels we had remaining after we wrapped all our Barkers' holiday gifts.
We Barkers are thrilled and honored to be able to express our appreciation to at least a few of these special pups. DNAinfo picked up the story and tonight, CBS news is running it.
So, if you, too, want to thank a pup for your freedom, you can drop off donations of treats and (durable) toys at North Slope Vet up until Tuesday, the 15th.
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