A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....07-16-03....Every Day...."Fluffy...A Military Dog Story"

AP VIA News Observer; Dutchess; Billie | June 28, 2003 | Jay Cohen

[dutchess]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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How precious we "creatures" great and small are. We have a special story to share today of a military pet and his owner. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did. God bless our military family.

"From scruffy to Fluffy, dog of war finds loving home in USA" AP via News Observer, June 28, 2003, Jay Cohen

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - They met in northern Iraq under the most trying ofcircumstances. Army Sgt. 1st Class Russell Joyce and his unit needed a guard dog. A scruffy, rail-thin German shepherd needed a home. Though most of the soldiers in the Special Forces unit thought the dog looked too frail, Joyce felt it deserved a chance. He fed it, trained it and, almost as a joke, named it Fluffy. Through it all, man and dog forged a commitment that lasted through war and government red tape, and all the way back to a reunion and a new home in North Carolina.

"What makes this dog so great is, look at the irony," Joyce said. "We took this dog from Iraq, we trained it and we used it for our own security."

Joyce got Fluffy out of necessity. His unit, 3rd Group, Special Forces, Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, used a dog to ward off intruders when stationed in Afghanistan and wanted another in Iraq. In March, they asked Kurdish soldiers in the area to search the streets for a suitable stray.

The Kurds came back with a gaunt German shepherd with scars on his head and legs, and missing several teeth.

"When we got him he was pretty thin. He didn't have much pep in his step and he was pretty scared," Joyce said. "He literally didn't move for a day."

Because Joyce didn't have any dog food, he fed the dog mutton, chicken and rice out of his hand. He taught the dog basic commands like heel and sit, and how to walk as a sentry dog - stay on the left side and near the handler.

Within a couple of weeks, Joyce and his fellow soldiers noticed the dog was becoming agressive to outsiders. At one point, Fluffy chased a Kurdish soldier over a fence, tearing off his pants.

"It definitely looked after us," he said. "If any American went to walk guard, meaning walk patrol, he would go right to their left side and he would stand right by them."

Joyce and Fluffy worked together until he returned home from Iraq on May 10. But the dog wasn't allowed to go along because he hadn't come from the United States with the troops.

What's more, Fluffy would be euthanized unless Joyce could find him a good home in Iraq or some way to bring the dog back with him.

Fluffy stayed with the 506th Security Forces Squadron in Iraq while Joyce started his anxious campaign at Fort Bragg.

Joyce began with e-mails and calls to the State Department, U.S. War Dogs Association President Ron Aiello and Monty Moore, a former Vietnam dog handler who runs a Web page dedicated to war dogs.

"What I heard in his voice was something I had heard hundreds of times from former military handlers from the Vietnam era who talk about their canines to this day and the love and devotion we have for them," Aiello said. "Russell had that same emotion about Fluffy."

Aiello wrote Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and set up a page in Fluffy's honor on his Web site.

Within days, Joyce had received over 1,500 e-mails inquiring about the situation. More than 32 U.S. senators also contacted him, asking what they could do to help.

By the time Joyce called Fluffy's caretakers in Iraq to tell them the machinery was in motion to bring the dog home, the Pentagon had already contacted the squadron to ask about Fluffy.

And the military found a way to gently bend its own guidelines to allow for Fluffy's transfer - it designated him an honorary working military dog with honorary war dog status.

Don Stump, an Army deputy division chief in Washington D.C., helped slice through the remaining red tape. Nearly 30 people in the military hierarchy had to sign off on the transfer and bring a successful end to what supporters called "Operation Free Fluffy."

"It stirred me up when I thought about the selfless action and courage of Fluffy," Stump said.

The Army footed the $274 to fly Fluffy to North Carolina, where Joyce was reunited with the German shepherd June 7.

The dog has won over his children, Sam, 12, and Elise, 6, and his wife, Caroline,

"He's doing great here," Joyce said. "He plays with my kids and he's not shown any aggressive behavior. We're working to deprogram him."

Caroline Joyce thought her husband was joking when he first broached the subject of bringing the dog home. Though she and the dog have become friends, it's clear who Fluffy loves most.

"The dog is fine with me but if my husband is around he doesn't want to have anything to do with me," Caroline Joyce said. "He just walks beside my husband and gazes at him all the time."

On a recent summer day, Fluffy circled nervously, whimpering while Joyce ducked into an office building. Once Joyce emerged from the side of a building, Fluffy leaped in the air.

"I see you," Joyce said with a grin as he moved closer to pet the dog on the head. "He really has a tough time because we were together the whole time when we were over there."

With Fluffy dutifully in tow, Joyce has no regrets.

"I don't label him as a pet," he said. "I label him as a buddy."

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 07-14-03...Military Monday 07-15-03..."Tagline Contest"

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[Billie]

I love that picture - love that dog!

[Calpernia]

Have a goodnight to the Finest!

[Billie]

Hey, there, you Waspman! How nice to see you!

[Billie]

Hi, JulieFRiend - I've got to get over there and vote for Bill B, too. Won't that be wonderful if he wins! FReepers can make a big difference when they pull together!

I'll be there f'stix! Saw your post on the other thread!

[Billie]

Bill

But "What About Bob?" LOL

Hi, Larry! Nice to see you.

[Billie]

Hi, FRiends - I don't think I got to say hello yet - did see where weinie was doing a little flirting. :)

[Billie]

Darn it! I thought you had him, too. :( We'll get there - be patient. :)

[Billie]

Pip! I missed you today, too - you need a great big hug, don't you? :( Hate that your phone line is messed up and hope it's soon working properly again!

(((((((((((((PIP)))))))))))))))

[Mama_Bear]

A HUGE Dump-Davis ditto to that!!

Hiya tame. :-)

[Billie]

I sure hope you all get Davis out, Amy - don't give up!

[firewalk]

Nice to see you Billie (-:

[JustAmy]

What a wonderful thread, Dutchess!
Would like to give a special hug to Fluffy.
He deserves to be honored as today's Finest.

[Billie]

Are you leaving? Thanks for the mail, Cal. :) See you tomorrow.

[Mama_Bear]

Hi BillieFriend! We're here at the same time! :-)

But, now I have to leave to start dinner. :-(

[Billie]

Hi, Lori! I just wanted to say hello to everyone - I need to upload tomorrow's graphics to AOL - DO NOT want them NOT showing up - worked too hard on it to post a bunch of blanks.

Enjoy your dinner, and your mother in law Thursday. Hope you get a chance to drop in sometime - gonna have a party. :)

[Billie]

Ohhhhhhh, Amy - that little cocker spaniel has stolen my heart. We always had cockers when I was growing up, and they just don't make dogs any sweeter-looking. ;)

[Mama_Bear]

LOL! Love weinie's quips and cute canine contributions.

[MeekOneGOP]

No, Billie, not my Dad.

[Mama_Bear]

For you and "Fluffy"........

Thank you for bringing this touching love story to us, Sis.

[JustAmy]

I love Cockers too!!

For the past several years, we have had mostly large dogs that were outdoor dogs. Everyone showing pictures and talking about their pets makes me want a small house dog again. :(
We have always loved our shepherds but they do not belong in the house. We lost our ChowChow last fall and that was tough. She enjoyed being in with us. She was very lovable but I'm not sure about all Chows.