Depending on the popularity of the conflicts in which they fought, military veterans have historically been welcomed back home either as patriots or pariahs. In either case, their medical, psychological and social needs were often unmet.
This has changed in recent decades thanks to a growing awareness of the more subtle and insidious ravages of war including diminished concentration and isolation. In my own work with vets as a speech pathologist, many have confided in me a sense that their usefulness ended with their tours of duty. They feel usurped by a “grateful nation” despite the fervent flag waving on both sides of the political aisle.
While our nation’s military service dogs don’t give a lick how people feel about the conflicts in which they served, they too have to adjust to life after a long succession of raids and hails of gunfire. Having been trained as watchful sentries and hardened soldiers (and, like many of their human counterparts, acquiring PTSD), they now need help sniffing out a place among civilians.
Reintegration into society was not always an option for military working dogs (MWDs). Just as the residents of Saigon watched helplessly as the last buffers between them and the surging Vietcong were airlifted from the roof of the U.S. Embassy in 1975, many MWDs looked on as the troops they so loyally served left them in the rubble of a lost cause.
Others who survived were considered too dangerous to adopt and were routinely euthanized. Categorized as “surplus equipment,” MWDs weren’t thought to have value beyond the military purposes for which they were trained. In Vietnam, MWDs were credited with saving an estimated 10,000 lives. Yet, 4,300 of the 4,900 MWDs (almost 88 percent) who served in combat were either left behind or euthanized when the U.S pulled out.
Robby’s Law (H.R. 5314), signed by President Clinton in November 2000, mandates that all MWDs suitable for adoption must be made available for placement in forever homes after their service. About 90 percent of MWDs are reportedly adopted by their current or former handlers with whom they’ve forged an inseparable bond. A few have found homes in law enforcement agencies. Civilians may also adopt a MWD after his or her service, though adoption criteria is stringent and there is a 12-18-month waiting list.
Under current law, the only reasons a MWD can be put down is terminal illness or extreme aggression. “Adoptability” is decided by the commander of the last unit in which the dog served upon the recommendation of the unit’s veterinarian.
Last Wednesday, March 13, marked National Canine Veterans’ Day. It was on that day in 1943 when the U.S. Army pressed its first crop of canine combatants into service. Since then, each dog in the “K-9 Corps” has been considered an official part of the U.S. Armed Services, though they have not all enjoyed humane treatment in retirement.
Today, MWDs are valued as indispensable members of their military units and have their own awards and medals, retirement ceremonies and memorial services. But we can never forget that it was not long ago when service dogs were more often disowned than decorated.
Seems to me that the real anniversary to celebrate is the signing of Robby’s Law: the day when the status of our canine warriors was elevated from “surplus equipment” to deserving veteran - one who now gets the chance to be a dog.