Sad but true rewards of fighting for freedom while losing your own.

This a true story but i will change certain facts to protect those involved. A USARMY soldier came back from Iraq in 2005. He was an infantry with 82nd Airborne division. He bought some land in the country for his family and his dogs. He purchased 12 acres of land so he would have plenty of space and plenty of room for his animals and children to roam. He and his wife had 5 dogs of their own and 3 young children. Knowing his time in the army was up he began to make plans to settle his family, but his unit was due to head back out to Iraq. When news arrived of future deployment, fellow soldiers began to look for accommodations for their pets. Knowing he was leaving the military he offered to help.

Those who owned pit bulls and rottweilers found it very hard to find someone to keep them for a year. This soldier offered to hold 15 pit bulls or rottweilers for owners until they came back asking only for dog food and vet bill money should the need arise. He kept constant email contact with the owners and update on their health. His wife took weekly pictures of the dogs and emailed them to their owners. For six month the young family live in their dog farm out in the country enjoying life. That was to end abruptly.

One day a neighbor came to the house and told them they had too many pit bulls and asked were they fighting these dogs.He simply stated that they where holding the dogs for soldiers abroad. The next week another neighbor does the same except this woman stated that she was a volunteer animal cruelty investigator(whatever that means). For the next month the local police where sent out to the property with reports of dog fighting and animal cruelty and neglect. Each time the police left petting all the dogs and saying how nice it was that someone would do such a thing for his fellow soldiers. Thankfully the local law enforcement came to know the dogs very well. Still this did not stop the naysayers.

More calls came in and the soldier started to see that people where coming in and out of his yard feeding and vaccinating his dogs and leaving him notes telling him they did so. Dogs by the way who had already been vaccinated and where now over weight and had regular diarrhea caused by the mixing of food. In the meantime the rumor around town is that there is a dog fighter in town and his is cruel to his animals. Something should be done, and done it was.

The soldier came home from work to find all 20 dogs dead or dieing, poisoned by ant-freeze. The scene was right out of the Humane Society of the United States' killem-for-their-own-safety playbook. Every dog full grown and puppies where killed. 20 dogs dead and dieing in plain view of those who drove the country road, not one report called in to local law enforcement. Not one complaint from a single neighbor, not one out cry of negligence, cruelty, or abuse. Nothing but smug indifference at a mission accomplished. And the cracking sound of the defeated but proud soldier's heart desperately breaking for letting his brothers and sisters in arms down. Where were the people who were so worried about the dogs well being and safety? 7 soldiers came home later that year to graves of their beloved pets instead of the companionship. Companionship needed to recover from the destruction of war. Graves dug with the blood, sweat and honorable tears of a soldier and paid for by the donations to the Humane Society of the United States and their like that post such poisonous and inflammatory information that creates witch hunts that hurt those who have sworn to defend even those who would take away their own freedom.

To the soldiers who lost their animals i salute you.