Therapy Dogs In Combat

Check out this article about a dog, Dean, who was taken to Iraq by his owner, Army Capt. Phillip Rittermeyer, the chaplain for his battalion. The dog serves as a therapy dog for the soldiers and he helps boost morale.

I think this is one of the best ideas the Army has ever had. And let's face it, despite some of the problems, the Army has some pretty damn good ideas. Allowing a chaplain to take his dog to a combat zone though, is definitely one of the best.

Dogs are one of God's most amazing creatures. They embody the best qualities that any creature could have. (Well, most of them do anyway. There are always a few bad apples, but that doesn't mean they spoil the entire barrel.) If you love a dog, it will love you back. If you don't love a dog, it will still love you. They are loyal. They offer companionship without asking for anything in return. When you come home, they come running to greet you with their tails wagging and their tongues out ready to give kisses. If you yell at them, they put their head down and sulk for a few minutes, but then the first chance they get they're following you around again, trying to get your attention to show how sorry they are and that they don't hold a grudge against you for yelling. They bark and growl when they smell trouble. They cuddle with you when you're upset and sad. And they're always ready to follow you into the bathroom, I guess just in case you should fall and need help.

I couldn't imagine not having dogs. Aside from Stonewall, my two pups are the loves of my life. I don't care what the "experts" say, I know they love me back. I can see it in their eyes when I let them up on my lap and give them back scratchies or let them jump up on the bed (even though they know they aren't allowed). Even Stonewall, a big tough Army man, is crazy about them. When they greet him at the door, jumping all over him, he won't yell at them because he says there is no one else that would greet him with such excitement and enthusiasm, so he should enjoy it. (Although, I do try to greet him with as much happiness as they do, but I can't get my tail to wag that fast and Stonewall says he prefers that I just give him normal kisses rather than sloppy doggy kisses.)

My dogs (and most other dogs I've known) are content to just be with me, when no one else is. They just want to lay beside me and have me pet them, but if I can't pet them, they understand that too. It seems to me that our dogs are happy as long as Stonewall and I are happy. And if we are sad, they seem to understand that as well and will look at us like, "What can we do?" It never ceases to amaze me how they just seem to know what I am thinking.

I can completely understand how a dog in a combat zone would boost morale and provide comfort to soldiers. I think there should be more units that take therapy dogs with them. According to the Chaplain in the news article, there are also added health benefits to having the dog over there. I would think that in a place that is so far from home and so completely unlike home, a dog would help give soldiers a feeling of comfort that they otherwise would not have over there.