Thanks
to Sergeant Joyce's loving care, Fluffy quickly flourished.
On
the streets of a city in northern Iraq, a scruffy, bony, homeless German
Shepherd wandered aimlessly. His head and legs were covered with scars, and
he was missing several teeth. His local owners had beaten the emaciated dog.
He needed a place to live, so Kurdish soldiers brought him to the Third
Group, Special Forces, Alpha Company, Third Battalion.
It was a
perfect match -- or so it seemed. The Special Forces unit had worked with a
guard dog in Afghanistan and needed one again to help prevent surprise
attacks. Some of the soldiers didn't think this frail creature would be able
to do the job, but Sergeant Russell Joyce knew better. He took over the
animal's care, feeding, and training, and gave the dog a good, American name
-- Fluffy.
Under the Sergeant's auspices, Fluffy soon changed into a
quick, bright guard dog, able to tell the difference between an Iraqi and an
American at a sniff. Twice he was involved in enemy attacks on the base he
was trained to keep safe. "He definitely looked after us," says Sergeant
Joyce. "If any American walked guard, Fluffy would go right along with the
soldier and stand right by him." To the surprise of all the soldiers, the
former stray had truly become a United States war dog -- and a
hero.
But Russell's time in Iraq was drawing to a close. He was very
happy to be going home, but he immediately thought of Fluffy. Since the dog
did not come to the war zone with the American troops, he was still
considered an Iraqi. Joyce was told if he could not find Fluffy a good,
local home, the dog would have to be killed.
The clock was ticking;
the unit Joyce had arranged to take care of Fluffy temporarily was doing so
unofficially and could not keep him forever. The dog's self-made handler
took swift action. One of the desperate emails Russell sent found its way to
the computer of Ron Aiello, president of the US War Dogs Association and
himself a Vietnam war dog handler. Ron called the Sergeant.
"What I heard
in his voice was something I heard hundreds of times from former military
handlers from the Vietnam era. They talk about their canines to this day and
the love and devotion we have for them," says Ron. "Russell had that same
emotion about Fluffy."
IRAQI DOG BECOMES AN AMERICAN HERO...
cont'd
Fluffy arrives at his new home in the US with Sergeant
Joyce.
Aiello wrote to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and set up a page in
Fluffy's honor on the US War Dogs Web site. In no time, Sergeant Joyce
received emails from thousands of people and organizations -- including
North Shore Animal League America -- and correspondence from 32 senators,
all asking what they could do to help.
Finally, it was decided --
Fluffy would become a very unusual exception to a strict military rule. He
would be designated an honorary working military dog with honorary war dog
status. In Washington, Army Deputy Division Chief Don Stump sliced through
some more red tape, and then thirty high-level military personnel signed off
to transfer the brave dog to the United States. Operation Free Fluffy had
come to a successful conclusion.
On June 7, Sergeant Russell Joyce, his
wife Caroline, and his daughters Sam and Elise welcomed newly retired
military dog Fluffy to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Since that day, Fluffy
has become a very important member of the family and friend to all. But it
obvious to everyone that Fluffy has a special love for Sergeant Joyce. And
the feeling is mutual. "I don't label him as a pet," says Russell. "He's my
buddy."
Six times each year, North Shore Animal League America presents
the Elisabeth Lewyt Award to a heroic dog or cat. For his brave actions on
the field of battle, and for Sergeant Russell Joyce's' dedication, Fluffy
and his handler were presented with the League's most recent award at a
reception in Alexandria, VA.
Normally, the shelter that cared for the
four-pawed honoree is also presented with an award. In Fluffy's case, no
shelter was involved. The League decided that the shelter award should be
presented to the US War Dogs Association, not only in Fluffy's honor but
also on behalf of all the brave and unrecognized dogs who have served with
our armed forces in the past.
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