Author: SPCAI Staff

By Lori Kalef, Program Manager

With an overwhelming number of rescue requests coming into our Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program and many moving pieces to consider for each rescue, our team is often working around the clock to save lives. On a moment’s notice things can change, and if we don’t act right away it can mean life or death for one of these beloved four-legged war buddies.

Each application we receive describes a compelling bond and a story of how our heroic service members came to rescue their dog or cat often, from very hostile situations. It is without a doubt that each account of how these animals were saved by our service members astounds us to the core; however, there always that one that will forever be etched in our hearts and minds.

When you work in animal welfare, you are privy to the most horrendous cases of abuse. One who is not so immersed in the field can often think about animal cruelty as a vague and undefined concept, without fully appreciating what those words mean. That is until you read what I’m about to tell you.

Lucky, aptly named, was found in an evacuated terrorist building in Syria by a group of U.S. Soldiers. Much to the squadron’s surprise, they looked up to find this beautiful dog suspended from the ceiling, “he was hog-tied with all four paws taped together, snout taped shut, and his throat cut.  He was left for dead." The teammates quickly took him down and using their medical training, they were able to save his life. Everyone pitched in to take care of him and soon enough Lucky had become the camp mascot and the team’s lucky charm.

One Soldier wrote, “Lucky survived a horrible experience at the hands of the worst terrorist organization in the world.” And he repaid his saviors by bringing them joy, silliness and a little love to a group of U.S. Soldiers that spend their days on the battlefield. His survival represents the hope that evil organizations such as these will one day be defeated.” 

 It isn’t difficult to take one look into Lucky’s hopeful and grateful eyes and immediately fall in love. We sure did. Now more than ever, our team is working hard to find new and innovative ways to manage the challenging political climate in the Middle East, where most of our operations are conducted. There is nothing we wouldn’t do to bring this very ‘Lucky’ dog home. Stay connected with our team on social media for more updates on Lucky and the many other OBP: Worldwide dogs and cats waiting to be rescued.

by Emma Koeniger, Content and Digital Media Coordinator 

In 2013 the Operation Military Pets program was created to help military families stay together when ordered to a new duty station. Permanent Change of Station (or PCS) orders require a family to move from one base to another and can incurr significant expenses related to that move – including transporting the family pet. When international relocation is required, bringing your family pet can easily cost $1,500 or more. SPCA International recognized that this burden was causing increased rates of pet surrender at shelters near military bases. Operation Military Pets program gives families another option by covering a portion of pet transportation costs.  

August 2017 marked the 1,000^th grant awarded by this program to a military family. That pet-loving family, the Acostas, know the struggle of moving their two pets all too well. Calvin and Cody are like their kids. The Shiba Inu mix and Terrier mix are always close by, ready to chase a ball or go wag their tails when their parents come home. The Acosta family could not imagine leaving Cody and Calvin behind when they received PCS orders relocating them to Japan, but when the cost of pet transportation alone rose over $3,000 they were stunned and financially unprepared.

That’s when they heard about SPCA International’s Operation Military Pets program, and the Acosta family quickly applied for assistance. We could tell from the way they lovingly talked about their two dog-kids that we could not let this tight-knit family fall apart. After completing all of the grant application steps, the Acosta family was approved for a grant. And now, we are happy to report that Calvin and Cody are with their mom and dad in Okinawa!

We received this heartwarming sentiment from the Acosta family; “This is an awesome and honest organization. My PCS from Cali to Okinawa with my (2) boys hurt us financially. There was no way I was leaving my boys! SPCA International helped us as promised. The wife and I are forever grateful and really happy: Thank You for your caring about people and the love for their pets!!!”

by Emma Koeniger, SPCAI Staff

Our team arrived at the Spay Panama clinic in Panama City, Panama on a humid, overcast Saturday morning. Down a little side street and between two houses, we walked into a small covered patio with roughly 20 chairs all occupied by locals waiting for their pets to go into surgery or waiting for them to come out. We went inside the clinic and met up with Spay Panama founder and director, Pat Chan, who showed us around their amazing operation.

There are two front rooms and kitchen, all with pull out sofas that visiting vet students and volunteers (and Harry the dog) can sleep on. You walk through a glass sliding door and you are in the middle of the Spay Panama medical rooms. Cats and dogs who were already sedated were being shaved down and prepped for surgery, once ready they were moved into the operating room where the 4-6 surgeons would perform an innovative veterinary technique called “the quick spay.” After that the animals were brought back out to the prep room, given a long lasting antibiotic, pain, and vitamin injection. It was truly a sight to behold. By the afternoon the crowd outside had dissipated because they do spay/neuter in the morning and save the afternoons for special exams and surgeries. We talked with the vet students visiting from Guelph and other parts of Canada, and met some wonderful patients and volunteers!

We were up bright and early Sunday morning, as our team joined the Spay Panama veterinarians, technicians and volunteers on the Spay Panama bus to travel to the spay and neuter pop-up clinic in Burunga. When we pulled up to the location at 7:30am there were scores of people on either side of the road, many had been waiting since 6:00 am, all with puppies, dogs, cats and kittens. Some of the dogs had harnesses and collars, a large amount had collars and leashes made out of chain or rope. After a quick set up the first patients started being seen.

From start to finish this is how an animal went through the entire process:
1) Check in. Pet is tagged and weighed.
2) Sedation and brought over to the surgical prep station.
3) Shaved for surgery, given a pain and antibiotic injection.
4) Surgery (spay or neuter as well as any emergency needs)
5) Recovery, ears cleaned, nails trimmed, and vaccinations given
6) Animal wakes up, the owner is called, they come pick-up their animal
7) They receive a collar and leash from an SPCA International

While this seems like a lot of steps it only took about 45min total and routine surgeries only take 5-6 minutes of that time!

It was clear to see how grateful the locals were to have Spay Panama there and to be receiving a free collar and leash for their pet. By 7:00pm 562 cats and dogs had been spayed or neutered, all of this was accomplished with only 9 veterinarians and 35 volunteers.

Burunga is an impoverished area. The locals earn roughly $15 a day, which makes it hard to support their families let alone their beloved pets. Yet, they know the importance of the work Spay Panama does, and will make sure they are in line to have their pet taken care of when the Spay Panama bus pulls up. Pat Chan does not turn anyone away when they cannot pay, but she does put them to work, cleaning surgical instruments or moving animals from station to station. Their work is important and the health of the pets is important, and Pat wants them to value both.

It is truly a sight to behold when the Spay Panama pop-up clinic is in full swing – if you blink you might miss something. Thanks to our amazing supporters we are able to provide Spay Panama with grants through our Shelter Support Fund program to sponsor these events and through our Veterinary Supply Aid program we are able to send medical supplies for these events and their clinic. SPCA International and Spay Panama have been partners in this work for over 7 years and we are always blown away by their incredible operation and all they are able to accomplish for the animals and people of Panama.

Each of dogs are now safely in the United States with the families of the U.S. service members or veterans who befriended them on deployment in Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey. SPCA International is honored to help our U.S. service members and so grateful to all our supporters who make these rescues possible. We currently have 80 more dogs and cats beloved by our troops waiting on our rescue wait list. 

By Mark Du Lac, U.S. Air Force TSgt Ret. & Lockheed Martin Aircraft Weapons Maintenance Instructor in Iraq

I want to share my story of Rooster, the Iraqi dog with you.

I went to Iraq for a one-year contract for work; away from my family and knowing no one. We have always had dogs as a part of our family, and at that time we had four in Florida. I went to work one day, and someone said there were puppies next door in the vehicle maintenance hangar ran by the Turkish mechanics. Me being the dog guy that I am, went over immediately to find that these guys had found and taken in three puppies from the same litter and made them their own.

From that time till I left, I helped take care of them, feed them, bathe and play with all three. Of course, I was most drawn to the runt of the group who was and is my Rooster. He was afraid and unsure of people period, seeing how he was a wild dog living on a military base with an expectancy to survive not much past a year in the conditions he was born into.

The men who took them in gave them the best care they could with what they had available. There were no Home Depots or PetSmarts. They built doghouses, a fenced in area and eventually a good size gated pen. Good thing they did because with word spreading amongst the other contractors on base, the dogs became more popular and had many visitors. The three original dogs turned into 16 in one pen and we took care of them with what we had. Lots of folks pitched in – whether it was buying toys and bringing them back from their R&R or feeding them leftovers from their meals. Some simply came just to be and play with them, filling that void…missing their pets at home.

We would bring them food for breakfast and it was a great way to start our mornings feeding them. They knew we were coming every morning and reacted to the white takeout trays filled with breakfast for them. Of course, the whole scenario took place again for lunch. We were even fortunate enough to get a few bags of dog food for them, which was hard to get!

Making friends with the deployed contractor veterinarian was an essential part of this story. She not only told me about the SPCA International sending animals home for military and contractors deployed to these locations for free, but she also gave up some of her personal time to look at the pups and help us keep them as healthy as possible. To me, this was the most amazing thing I could possibly learn and so the process began by asking permission from the men who found them if I could take Rooster home to the U.S.

They were hesitant at first, but they agreed, and they knew he would have a much better life with me. My decision led to others wanting to do the same. With unbelievable efforts by the SPCA International and their worldwide team, all 16 puppies were taken to a better facility north of us where they would do their in-country quarantine, receive vaccinations and be properly taken care of until it was time to make that trip to the US. Mind you, all provided by the SPCA International at no cost to the person wanting the dog.

Without the amazing services and selfless efforts provided by the SPCAI, none of this would have ever happened. The program is financed by donations from countless generous individuals who all believe in the same thing; that every animal deserves a chance to live a good life. SPCAI is an incredible organization saving animals all over the world. Just in Iraq alone they have saved over 700 dogs and cats, that are now with their new forever families throughout the U.S.

I am so grateful to everyone involved in Rooster’s rescue and to the people who I have never met who worked so hard to get my puppy home safely and healthy! I cannot stress enough that none of this would happen without generous donations to SPCA. Big or small – it all counts and puts big hearted animal loving people with the pets they found, adopted and wanted to have as their own in a better place.

Rooster is now in Florida with his new K-9 family and humans – five dogs now total. I would not have it any other way, this dog made all the difference in my life the last three months in a not-so-friendly and unforgiving place.

Thank you with all my heart to each and every one who was part of Rooster’s amazing journey – mostly to the SPCA International organization. Keep doing that great stuff you do, one animal at a time!

Forever grateful:
Mr. D. “Roosters Dad”