We are used to the U.S. House of Representatives being divided along party lines, but a proposed bill has shockingly garnered bipartisan support from the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
 |
Well, it pertains to veterans—four-footed veterans, often classified as “equipment” and sometimes banned from riding on military aircraft to get back to the United States for their retirement.
Partnering with the officials from the American Humane Association and Mission K9 Rescue, bill sponsor Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) and Dina Titus (D-Nevada), joined by Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida.), and Don Young (R-Alaska), held a media event on Capitol Hill called “Military dogs take the Hill: Reunification and retirement of military dogs” to discuss the plight of “warrior dogs” and bring awareness to bringing military animals home to retire, according to FederalNewsRadio and media sources. The Senate had already passed an amendment to reclassify dogs as canine members of the armed forces.
The dogs are put up for adoption at the military base they worked at, but if they are not adopted, they are not guaranteed a ride home. The problem is that if military dogs and contractor dogs are inactivated overseas, they become “civilians” and are, therefore, not authorized to ride on military aircraft. The proposed bill would give their dogs’ handlers a chance to adopt them in the United States, even if they are no longer in the service, which would allow them a flight home. No regulations currently address retired dogs trained by government contractors.
There are an estimated 2,500 retired military working dogs and contract working dogs, and each saved from 100 to 200 soldiers’ lives during combat. The bill will also address funding for veterinary care during the dogs’ retirement.
And what are they doing for Iraqi interpreters who served the U.S. military? I guess they wouldn’t make good press conference fodder.