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

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine

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"

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Calpernia]

This is a nice thread. Thanks again for the initial ping!

[Billie]

This little bluebird has been to 'your' mailbox. :)

I hope this graphic shows - it took three tries to get it to open for me. :( I'm ready for this to quit happening.

[Billie]

We're glad you've become one of our daily contributors - birds, chirping sounds, and all the other neat graphics and posts you make. ;)

[Diver Dave]

Mornin' Hostesses and Fluffy.

Great story this morning, dutchess.

He just walks beside my husband and gazes at him all the time."

Sounds just like Jack. Must be something about being rescued that causes these critters to form that bond. Broke his heart to be left in a kennel while we were gone on vacation. He's forgiven us, but those sad eyes when we dropped him off caused a few moments of, "Aw, maybe we should take him with us."

[LadyX]

You and Gizmutt have wonderful instincts when it comes to finding interesting pet stories, dutchess!

Yep - Free Republic's Folks really are a "compassionate, conservative" lot..:))

Ya gotta have h-e-a-r-t--- lots and lotsa h-e-a-r-t - - - !!

From Forlorn to Fluffy - that's us . . with hope of regaining the Senate in '04.

[Calpernia]

>>>those sad eyes when we dropped him off caused a few moments of, "Aw, maybe we should take him with us."

Don't you hate that?

[LadyX]

Isn't The Finest blessed with some really great regulars?

These persons clear the skies and flight paths ahead of us - give us coffee and biscuits and gravy and doughnuts and music for the day's journeys!!

'Tis spoiled we are, and lovin' it!

[Fiddlstix]

You're welcome J
Enjoy J

[FreeTheHostages]

[iceskater]

What a wonderful story! Although, I might need a new keyboard after my tears have shorted it out....

Even with the happy ending, I still cried. I'm an old softy for these stories.

[Flyer]

I do a daily thread at our Chapter forum and I know how tough it is getting folks to visit every day. I had guest hosts for 2 weeks in June, otherwise it has been mine everyday for a year or so. Whew!

[LadyX]

Yes - dutchess receives at least one demerit for not giving at the very opening a *TISSUE ALERT!!*

Probably 99% of those of us who dwell at The Finest are *stray humans* who have been *found* by cats and dogs..:))
LOL

Good to see you back, Miss Molly - -

[LadyX]

Lovely calendar post, Freezie.
He indeed loves us each and every day of our life - - -

[Billie]

Oh, I didn't know the Houston Chapter had a daily forum - thanks for showing it to us. (Yep - hard to keep up at different forums - I hardly have time to even read other threads at FR, let alone another forum) :)

[The Thin Man]

Great article about Fluffy. I think this calls for a follow-up by Gizmo so we can get the rest of the story.

[Diver Dave]

Notice the similarity of a rescued pet and what God did for us through the sacrifice of His Son?

[Mama_Bear]

"Operation Free Fluffy."

A wonderful, touching story! Thank you, dutchess and Billie. Gave me the warm-fuzzies. I love animal stories, especially the ones about our devoted canine friends.

Good morning all. Hope everyone has a pleasant day and that our Texas friends came through the storm okay.

Hugs all around!

[Billie]

Hi, Dave - I think you may be right. From reading the posts here each week on Pet Day, it's amazing how many of us have adopted throw-away pets, and how much love they need, but also have to give.

[lonestar]

Do you think you could get me Fluffy's number? I've always had a "thing" for military men.

I think I'm in love!

Weinie

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks ! Hope your day is a lovely one !