Marines reunited with Iraqi puppies in Encinitas
By: DANIEL ELY - For the North County Times
Dogs born in camp flown home, adopted | ∞
Marine Capt. Jamisen Fox plays with his 4-month-old Turkish sheepdog named Kirby on Saturday at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas. Kirby is one from a litter of 7 puppies that were transported from Iraq to the society where they were housed and cared for, including medical attention, for about a month until their Marine owners returned from deployment in Iraq on Saturday morning. Fox said the parents of the puppies were stray dogs hanging around their camp in Iraq and the Marines started feeding them. They then became camp watchdogs and when they had a litter of puppies the Marines adopted the puppies and sent them home to America.
BILL WECHTER Staff Photographer
Order a copy of this photo
Visit our Photo Gallery
ENCINITAS ---- When Marines in Border Transition Team 1/5/2 returned from deployment in Iraq on Saturday morning, something very special was waiting for them. View A Video
Seven Iraqi puppies, raised by the Marines, were reunited with their owners at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas.
Except for the cameras, the crowd that had gathered could have been any group of dog lovers.
The seven white puppies ran around on the grass, chewed treats (and sometimes leashes) and generally acted like puppies.
The petting and hugs were extra meaningful to the Marines, who, having been back in the U.S. for less than 12 hours, had been waiting weeks to be reunited with their dogs.
The story started at a combat outpost on the Syrian border, where the team was training Iraqi border police.
A female dog that visited the camp looking for food delivered a litter of eight puppies. After one starved to death, it was clear that the mother couldn't care for the puppies, and the Marines took charge of raising them.
The puppies are now just over 6 months old.
"Immediately after they were born, we knew we'd have to take them back to the states," said Marine Capt. Jamisen Fox, who is adopting Kirby and Princess from the litter. "Leaving them there wasn't an option."
"They definitely helped us out while we were out there," said 1st Lt. Nathan Nielson, who is going home with Gus, the puppy he says he was drawn to.
"I think we definitely had a chance to bond, especially under the circumstances," he said.
It wasn't an easy option. Included in the list of activities by a Marine Corps general order, just after possessing illegal drugs and destroying historical artifacts, is "Adopting as pets or mascots, caring for, or feeding any type of domestic or wild animal." Because of this, none of the resources of the armed services could be used in moving the puppies.
"I was starting to get the feeling we'd spent a whole lot of time and a whole lot of money and nothing would come from it," said Steve Ronk, founder of Operation Cookie Jar, who took charge of getting the puppies' passage booked.
Ronk said that because there are many wild dogs in the Middle East, they're seen as pests more often than pets, and the future looked bleak for the puppies when the Marines were sent home.
According to Ronk, to ensure their safety, Operation Cookie Jar and the Marines at the outpost arranged for a private security firm to drive the canines from the Syrian border into Baghdad, where they would fly to the U.S.
Once in the U.S., the American Legion cared for the puppies until they arrived at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, where they were spayed or neutered, microchipped, tested for various health problems, vaccinated, and sent to their own "boot camp," where they learned basic obedience at no cost to the Marines who would adopt them.
"They don't get enough credit for what they do over there," said Jim Silveira, president and CEO of the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, adding that the happy, active puppies have been great fun to take care of. "The staff and the volunteers all love them ... they've been cute little guys to have around."
More information about Operation Cookie Jar can be found at www.operationcookiejar.org.
More Stories
- Sprinting to class: College students, workers take to new rails
- Escondido merchants divided over new downtown parking policy
- Two-year-old Encinitas charter school faces conflict
- Carlsbad veteran prepared for trip to World War II Memorial
- Can do, did and done: Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park 'celebrate the spirit'
Advertisement
Boo wrote on Mar 23, 2008 3:28 PM:What a great story!!!! Arf, arf
sgt asebedo wrote on Apr 15, 2008 12:42 PM:I love your story. I am actually in the army and have adopted a beautiful puppy myself. Three of us in our unit would like to bring th epuppies home, but the army is no joke when it comes to these pups. They have raised our morale and made us so happy. They have friendly, playful personalities. They are pretty intelligent as well. My husband and I took in a puppy, because we knew if she was sent back to the wild she wouldn't make it. She was already bones to begin with. As well as the other pupps. They are the sweetest. My husband and I along with the other 2 soldiers who have dogs want to take them back to the states. It would be God's greatest gift to all of us if they could be blessed and come home with us. Do you think there is any way you can help us. They are not pests. They just need to be loved. They are easily trainable. We really don't want them to be euthanized. I am really sad right now, because they want to take them away and we have all formed a great bond with them. I wish you could see. They are kind of like family. We would sincerely appreciate your effort and help. I will do anything to get these pupps safe and sound back at home with us.Thank you for your suport, Sgt Asebedo-Erdmann
craig wrote on Jul 8, 2008 8:46 AM:"It wasn't an easy option. Included in the list of activities by a Marine Corps general order, just after possessing illegal drugs and destroying historical artifacts, is "Adopting as pets or mascots, caring for, or feeding any type of domestic or wild animal.""
Shouldn't this sentence read "Included in the list of 'prohibited' activities..."?
First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.
Today's Stories
Advertisement