No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops’ Dogs and Cats Safely Home from the Combat Zone

No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops’ Dogs and Cats Safely Home from the Combat Zone by Terri Crisp with Cynthia Hurn      Audio Book:  8 hours, 19 mins    Hardback Book:  264 pages     

Genre:  U. S. Military/War Zones/ Pets

Terri Crisp, of the SPCA International Operation was contacted several times by military personnel asking for help bringing animals they befriended while serving in the warzones of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. begging for help getting these “buddies” out of the war zones and safely delivered to the soldiers’ families for safe-keeping till the soldiers could come back home and reunite with their furry friends.   So many stories here that will break your heart and yes, bring tears to your eyes of the heartless treatments dogs and cats receive in the above mentioned countries.    Dogs and cats are relegated to the status of vermin in these areas and are often killed, abused or tortured.   Military personnel are warned not to befriend animals and said animals are often killed by U. S. military staff in order to stop the soldiers from getting attached to them.    But that doesn’t stop the strays from stopping by to scrounge a bite or two and of course, what animal lover could ignore them or when the emotional trauma of the daily situations soldiers find themselves in, the loneliness for home and sane living conditions, memories of pets they had or left behind and the joy of being nuzzled by a furry friend undergoing the same day to day shell-shocked life of never knowing when a bomb might go off and either you or your friend might lose your life to a suicide bomber, or bullet, or some form of saboutage or subterfuge.   Living that type of stress day-to-day takes a harsh toll on the soul so much so, many soldiers are not able to express the utter terror they live moment to moment.   Having a furry understanding pal come lay beside you or nuzzle you when there doesn’t require any conversation, just the empathetic communication of one friend to another letting you know they care and get what you are going through.   While the military may be against forming attachments to animals stating having a pet takes a soldiers’ focus off of what they are doing and could cost lives – hence- why military zones have kills of not just the enemy but will brutally shoot any animals discovered in camp.     So many soldiers keep their furry friends underwraps and help hide them from those that would snitch or from higher ups who would follow regulations to the letter in obliterating such attachments.   Horrible and harsh beyond belief the stories you will read here of animals being brutally murdered in front of their friends to toughen the soldiers up and keep focus on their duties.    But how can they not see when someone if forced to stress induced behavior on a 24/7 basis, how, just a little silent caring from a fellow creature stuck in the same impossible circumstances can go so far to help maintain the humanity they hold inside them?    Humans need a modicum of respect and mutual understanding and many cannot get that from communicating to their colleagues, but, when communicating with animals words aren’t needed.   Putting their head on your leg can express everything in both of your hearts without any verbage required.   Many soldiers have saved animals from being treated cruelly by the locals and many of the animals went on to alert soldiers to hostile presences saving their lives.    This is such a great book and the work done by SPCA International is phenomenal.     Terri Crisp and others on her team started Operation Bahdad Pups raising money to rescue animals that were made known to them who’s soldier buddies begged for help saving them before they deployed to a different region, or were lucky enough to be going home, etc.  Saving these poor creatures took monumental efforts but Terri Crisp and her team, even Terri’s daughter, who also works for the organization took on the task of going into war zones and rescuing as many of the dogs and cats as they possibly could which was quite the clandestine and dangerous task itself.     Animals had to basically be smuggled to Kuwait and Dubai then to other locations and countries to complete their journey to the United States and safety.   Some animals sadly didn’t make it but 223 dogs and 42 cats have been rescued.   Opposing arguments to these rescue missions were that the soldiers could get dogs and cats from rescue shelters here in the States when they returned – why bring over more animals when so many here at home needed to be adopted?   But what those opposing the rescues weren’t considering was the fact that these particular animals were the ones loved by the men and women who went through hell and back and the animals offered them the compassion they needed to stay mentally stabile and these were the animals in many cases who saved not just a soldier but often their entire unit alerting them to dangerous hostiles, dangerous places and alerting them when something wasn’t right in locations where someone could be pretending to be friendly only to blow up, poison or otherwise sabotage a plan.    These weren’t just a desire for a pet these were fellow creatures offering consolation when you just watched someone get killed in front of you.   So many stories.   One girls’ brother went through such mental stress that he no longer was able to speak of the horrors.    He couldn’t de-stress, but, one little dog that the platoon had befriended (and even the ranking officer realized was good for morale telling them aloud as long as I don’t see it I don’t have to report it)  that little dog would snuggle up to the soldier and lay beside him.   The little dog loved all of the guys but seemed to understand this guy really needed him and so the pup would run up to him and jump into his arms, would give him a little extra love and he healed this soldier mentally and spiritually and brought him such a soothing peace it helped bring the girls’ brother out of his doldrums.    She and her brother contacted SPCA International and were able to get the pup saved and brought home to U.S. soil.    Detracters and naysayers were shown its not the what it is the who and the why of these particular animals.    How hard must it be for those soldiers leaving behind pets they couldn’t save or couldn’t get home or to have to watch your own squad members to kill to stop any chance of love developing.    This is a wonderful book and the workers, voluterrs and helpers who make this program possible are true heroes in so many ways to the heroes fighting overseas one hairs bredth away from death themselves at any moment.     God bless them.    May SPCA International be able to rescue every request and may every animal shelter be able to find homes for all the animals they board.   There will be tears reading this book but it is so worth it.   A good view into life for soldiers in battlezones, a look into the thinking of other cultures, pros and cons on all sides of the rescue issues.   Well written book.   I cannot recommend it enough.    

 - Shirley J.