El Paso military contractor rescues overseas dogs
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A local military contractor recently rescued a second dog he befriended while deployed overseas.
Evan Barney and Erba met in Erbil, Iraq. Mild and meek in manner, Erba made an impression on Barney that he kept in mind after he took her to an animal shelter in Erbil, where his family wound up making a huge decision.
“After talking about it, we decided that, you know what? She deserves a home just like them. And we wound up mutually deciding as a family that we would include her as well,” Barney said.
But years before bringing Erba, Barney’s family had welcomed Tripod, a three-legged dog he met while deployed in Syria.
Amongst several puppies, Tripod stood out as the most senior and calmest of them all. During Barney’s roughest days, Tripod would “magically” show up and lighten his mood. Barney and his family would eventually adopt him, Tripod the immigrant dog.
“Pretty much from the beginning, as much as everyone loved the puppies because they’re cute, young, I always felt that he out of all of them, probably deserved it the most. He was the one that had seen the most. And I mean, he’d lost his legs, and it just felt right. He needed a retirement from his current life,” Barney said.
However, Barney explained that bringing Erba and Tripod to the states was a lengthy and expensive process. They have to get medically cleared, go through the CDC and immigration. But with the assistance and efforts of SPCA International, Barney was able to reunite with his pet-friends.
“It’s bringing it full circle, bringing them brings peace, brings joy. And it’s nice giving them the respite they deserve after surviving on the street for two years, or losing a leg, and having to basically survive as well,” Barney reflected.
Like Barney, military members deployed overseas often develop special bonds with local stray animals. However, upon the end of their deployment they’re forced to leave them behind.
For more than a decade now, SPCA International has worked with service members to reunite them with their friends and bring them to a new home through a program called Patriot Pets. To date, they have helped rescue over 1,200 animals from different parts of the world, according to their website.
Challenges still remain however. Military members overseas are prohibited from caring for, or adopting local domestic or wild animals while in service, according to the U.S Military’s General Order Number One.
Barney acknowledges this rule is a good safety measure in the instance an animal may be carrying diseases, but believes it should be applied on a case-by-case basis because many of the animals they encounter are generally healthy, and they can’t help but develop a special friendship.
“These creatures give meaning and something to look forward to. It gets very monotonous; there’s days you’re having a bad day. They arrive, they cheer you up, they motivate you, and they motivate the soldiers. If I were to ask one thing, it would be that maybe the people in these leadership positions would consider or reconsider their mascot rule on general order number one,” Barney said.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
