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From My Position / On the way! / Note to self / Dogs
Every once in awhile I see a story in the news about some soldier saving an Iraqi dog and wanting to bring it home with him. But this really doesn't tell the appropriate or complete story of a dog's life in Iraq. It's an incomplete picture. Here's a little more of the picture from a soldier's blog (warning, this includes a description of the shooting and killing of dogs, so don't read it if you can't tolerate such a story... you have been warned): From My Position... On the way!: Note to self: Dogs. Officially, yes, I'm disturbed by the outright killing of dogs, but I have to say I'm more concerned with the tone of the post than the fact of the dogs being killed. And my impression is that these are primarily village dogs, living off of human waste, much as the ancestors of my dog and yours might have done, but far enough removed from our at home experience that we should not think of them as pet dogs. They are scavengers, and not particularly companionable. They are likely diseased, and their lives are not touched by any sort of joy. I've linked to this primarily because this sort of honesty is rare in the news. The tone is rarely so stark. I learn more about the lives of soldiers and animals and anyone else who happens to be in Iraq from this post than I learn from stacks of newspapers I read. I hope that those lives may improve. That no dog be considered a vector, or a carrier of disease. That no human be reduced to extermination of animals otherwise considered valuable companions. Technorati Tags: iraq, soldier, dog, dogs, vector, disease, kill, killing, shot, shooting, hunting, hunt, doghunt, dogkilling, animal, shoot, death, dead, DogsofWar
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At May 24, 2005 8:39 AM, said “Thanks for sharing this. I, like you, was rather shocked at the tone of the post. It was as if they were out target shooting those paper targets, instead of a living animal.
It makes me wonder what these men/women will be like when they arrive back here, if/when this war is over.”
At May 28, 2005 3:50 AM, Chuck said “I am an ugly, insensitive bastard. I too, am a dog lover. I've owned a series of Labs, and they are faithful and friendly companions. These dogs are not pets. Iraqis do not keep dogs as pets. They consider them unclean, much like pigs.
I do not necessarily enjoy killig dogs, but from a psychological standpoint, it is harder on us to kill dogs and horses (we haven't killed any horses) because as Americans, most of us have had them as pets. It is harder to kill a dog than it is to kill a person, usually because the dog isn't shooting at you.
This also isn't a daily occurrence. We cull the herd, so to speak. I talk about it matter of factly ecause it isn't a personal thing, it's business. Separation of the two is critical. I am a loving father and husband. I am reasonably well adjusted. My friends would say that I have a great sense of humor and am sociable.
The other day one of my soldiers had a 10 year old boy die in his lap from gunshot wounds. His own uncle shot him while trying to kill us. He literally shot through this child to try to kill us. I'm more worried about the visions I will have the rest of my life from zipping that child into a bodybag than I will about shooting a dog. The cold facts are these: The dogs here are ferral. They carry diseases, the least of which are mange and rabies. The rifle rounds go right through them, the pistol rounds kill them. I didn't write to brag, but rather to relate a story. My blog is a coping mechanism. I did not intend to offend.
Chuck”
At May 28, 2005 8:24 AM, Terry said “I should point out that my intent was not that I was offended. And I don't think I ever called you an ugly insensitive bastard. My point was that your post was more informative than a thousand news stories about how dogs all over the world are the same and stories about people trying to save doggies in Iraq are the exception rather than the rule (not always easy to tell from the newspapers). My point, my big, giant, maybe I forgot to spell it out point, was that war is different, and no matter how hard we may sit at home and try to understand what it is that's happening over there, we won't, because what is happening is inside each individual involved in that experience. And that you all deserve better. And I hope lives there improve soon, for you, for the dogs, for the citizens, for everyone.
Blessings.”
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