Soldier helps in Operation: Doggy Freedom

[Barrett808]

Soldier helps in Operation: Doggy Freedom
By BRITTANY OAT
Special to the Bulletin

In October 2003, a puppy named Jameela, begging for food, was beaten in Baghdad by Iraqi guards.

Today, Jameela basks in the glow of a loving home while being cuddled by her owner, Army National Guard Maj. Denise Howard of Colorado, and Howard's mother, Theresa of Lisbon.

"I jokingly say now she has her citizenship and she's an American dog," Denise Howard said.

In Iraq, many puppies like Jameela are turned out onto the streets in Iraq because the people cannot even feed themselves, much less an animal.

"A lot of people in that culture don't think of dogs the way we do," Denise Howard said. "They think they are dirty."

(more)

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050103/NEWS01/501030302/1002

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. i'm sure they'd have more to feed the dogs

had the pet food stores and supermarkets not been blown up.

Great, now in addition to stealing their oil we're also stealing their puppies too.

[Kelvin Mace]

2. At least they get better treatment than

the ordinary Iraqis do.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

[ET Awful]

3. That is one cute pooch :)

That is very cool IMO. Reminiscent of the Kerry photo holding a puppy on the boat (or any other soldier who takes care of a poor defenseless animal in a war zone for that matter).

[dhinojosa]

4. That little pup is going to declare jihad on some tennis balls

great story

[Jesus H. Christ]

5. Plenty of corpses to feed on.

Or inmates.

[saigon68]

14. COMING RIGHT UP !!!!!! (graphic)

But this time the marines are not chasing down the insurgents who they defeated in a devastating assault on the city last month. Their quarry is stray animals grown fat on the flesh from corpses and who could harbor rabies

http://www.turkishpress.com/world/news.asp?id=041210033510.1bgx7r1p.xml

[Minstrel Boy]

6. love this quote:

"A lot of people in that culture don't think of dogs the way we do," Denise Howard said. "They think they are dirty."

A lot of people in THIS culture don't think of Iraqis the way they should. They think their lives are cheaper than dogs.

[ernstbass]

7. I respect this soldier for doing what she

could to help this homeless animal, regardless of the fucked up reasons we are over there. I hope they have success in finding homes for more abandoned animals

[The Stranger]

8. There was a report about a group of soldiers that euthanized a dog

when they were ordered out, instead of finding it a home. This was approximately one year ago, and provided not as great an image for the troops. Anyone remember that one?

[ally_sc]

15. no i don't remember that, and i am glad i didn't see see or hear it

while our reasons for being there(iraq) are terrible. we need to respect their property, whether that be animals or an abandoned child. i hope for the most part the troops are being honorable however there are rare cases like the dog being euthanized or even a iraqi being raped...war does strange things to the mind that's why it is called war. i would surely hope that there are not too many of these incidents but you never know the whole damn thing is frusterating and sad.

[MasonJar]

9. I do NOT think that because he saved a dog it is a time to

degrade animals in a war zone or anywhere else. I am proud that he took care of the dog and that they bring each other happiness. That has nothing to do with the Iraqi people; we need to put them back in charge of their own country and leave.

[karlrschneider]

10. That last quote won't go over well with the fundies:

"I really can't imagine having kids," Denise Howard said. "The dogs are a lot of work and kids are supposed to be worse than dogs."
---------------------------------------------

:eyes:

[xchrom]

11. a good deed for a dog!

i love them dawgies -- and that's a good story -- i like it!

[maxsolomon]

12. they think they're dirty because they are

they will eat shit. dead humans, too, if they're hungry enough. their function in human society in the pre-consumerist anthropomorphist age (approx 100 years ago) has been to keep watch, keep guard, and eat the scraps.

i own a dog, too.

the dogs in fallujah have been eating dead people in their houses. its not too hard to think of them as filthy when they eat your uncle.

[karlrschneider]

13. Well, people will eat dead people too if they're "hungry enough", and

of course millions of people worldwide engage in ritualized, symbolic cannabilism on a regular basis. Just sayin'...
:eyes:

[justiceischeap]

16. Umm...

Does the dog understand English? ;)

And in that graphic picture, is that the same dog?

[MADem]

17. Having lived in the region

...I can tell you, dogs are NOT pets over there. They are wild, unless they are the odd rare lapdog of a wealthy woman, and even at that, it's unusual. They hate dogs. They call people father of a dog, seed of the dog, child of the dog, as an insult.

They run in packs and are wild and smart as all get-out--they know the people who like dogs (a large group of them used to follow me home because they knew I was good for a load of scraps). But you don't see dogs as family pets routinely. You may see the odd guard dog, chained outside the door, who is vicious and is thrown scraps, the even rarer working dog in a farm environment, but there's not much of that "man's best friend" stuff going on.

It's just different over there. Birds, yeah, they like them. Cats, sure, sometimes, outside, but not in the house. Dogs? They just do not like them. They think we are crazy because we like dogs so much...