War dog Benny News Leader, Fremont, NC

Benny Deb

Most pet owners think their animal is special in some way. Maybe it’s their pup’s talent for fetching, or their cat’s ability to entertain itself for hours.

But what makes Debbie Kandoll’s dog Benny special is a truly unique thing indeed: Benny is a retired member of the United States military.

Debbie and her husband Mike, who live in the Pikeville area, adopted the German Shepherd earlier this year. Benny came to the Kandolls through a program that allows civilians to adopt military war dogs once they retire.

Though Benny wasn’t adopted until January of this year, Debbie said adopting a military war dog had been on her mind for several years.

She said she first heard of the program around the time it began. Though dogs had been assisting the military for decades, it wasn’t until President Bill Clinton signed a bill approving their adoption in 2000 that any of those dogs had a life beyond their service. Prior to that bill, once their service had ended, military war dogs were declared excess equipment by the military and euthanized.

Since then, Debbie had been thinking about adopting one of the dogs, but her husband wasn’t always sold on the idea.
“I grew up with animals in the house,” she said. “He grew up on a farm, where the animals always stayed outside, and didn’t like the idea of animals in the house.”

However, after Mike returned from a deployment to Iraq, Debbie said she told him if he was deployed again, she wanted to adopt a dog to keep her company while he was gone.

When things began to look like he wouldn’t be deployed again, Debbie said she began thinking about getting horses. It was then that her husband brought the idea of adopting a military war dog back to the table.

“Sometimes I say that he agreed to get the dog so I wouldn’t get horses,” she joked.

It was November 28 of last year that Mike agreed to adopt the dog, and Debbie began searching the next day. But the process, she found, is not as simple as one would think.

She had been directed to contact Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, which is where the military war dog program is based. However, she discovered through contacting the base that its more effective to contact local military bases that have a military war dog program, because they prefer to adopt dogs to local people.

After months of calling and checking, Debbie finally located Benny at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Once she adopted Benny, Debbie said she noticed an eerie coincidence that affirms her faith that God had a hand in bringing Benny to her. Benny had been declared excess by the military on November 29, the same day Debbie began her search. And though it took her a while to get connected with him, Debbie said that her adoption of Benny literally saved his life – he was on the schedule to be euthanized.

Debbie and her husband drove up to Virginia to pick up Benny on January 4. At first, the excitement was mingled with anxiety about how Benny, who had spent his entire life in a kennel, would adopt to the myriad of new situations before him.

But Benny has adjusted quite well. He loves children, new people, and other animals, which is fortunate for the Kandolls’ cat Simba who ruled the roost before Benny’s arrival.

Debbie explained that when they first got Benny, he was not a mean-spirited animal, but he was very restrained.

“Because of his training, he was very restrained,” she said. “He was like a robot-dog for the first few weeks. But as he got more comfortable, his personality began to shine through.”

Benny’s military career was ended due to a slight problem with his leg, which had been aggravated from standing on his hind legs to sniff for drugs. The problem doesn’t hinder Benny on a day-to-day basis, and Debbie said it has actually improved since adoption. Leg spasms have ceased since Benny adjusted to sleeping on soft cushions rather than concrete floors.

Overall, Debbie said she is overjoyed by the new addition to her family. But her adoption of Benny brought her more than a furry friend. She feels that her experience with the process has given her a chance to spread the word about these dogs.

Too many are still euthanized because they can’t find homes, she said. And Debbie feels that there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about how to go about adopting an animal like Benny.

So the former teacher and Air Force Reservist spends her days working with Benny and municipal organizations to have an open discussion about adopting animals, and the many benefits of doing so.

“I just want to let people know that anyone who wants to make a difference in just one life can do so,” she said.

Debbie has compiled a wealth of information about the process on the Internet, and is also willing to speak and work with anyone interested in adopting a war dog. She is also assisting with a presentation about war dogs at the 2008 Memorial Day event in Pikeville.

In addition to serving as an ambassador for the program, Benny volunteers as a therapy dog, and will soon be completely licensed. Earlier this month, he went with Seymour Johnson airmen to visit disabled veterans.

“He was a real charmer,” said Debbie, noting that as he met the patients, he would offer his paw for a handshake.

She added that, even amongst the military personnel she encountered at Seymour Johnson, there was a lot of misinformation about how to adopt one of the dogs.

“I had people asking me if I had to fill out a massive application, which I didn’t,” she said. “That just shows you how much misinformation is out there, and I want to do what I can to help change that.”

Visit http://www.uswardogs.org/new_page_5.htm for more information. For an outline of the adoption process, click on the small picture of Benny.

Fremont Rescue and EMS BBQ

A barbecue chicken dinner sponsored by Fremont Rescue and EMS will be held on Sunday, March 2 starting at 11; eat in, take out, or drive-thru, at the EMS Building on Sycamore Street. Plates will be $6, with half a chicken, potatoes, beans, a roll, and a homemade desert.

The doors will open at 11, and the dinner will go until the food runs out.

Statewide burning ban

Due to hazardous forest fire conditions and the continuing drought, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources have enacted a statewide burning ban.

For further information, visit www.dfr.state.nc.us.

Storytime for preschoolers

Preschool story time for children ages 2-5 is held at the Fremont Library on Monday mornings at 10 a.m. Children are invited to come and participate in songs, craft projects, and the reading of fun books.

Fremont Free Clinic

The Fremont People's Free Clinic is held every third Saturday of the month, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at 107 Ward Street. Please come fasting if you would like your labs checked. The clinic is sponsored by Duke Med Students, Goshen Medical Center, and your local Fremont Area Health Coalition. Call 242-3126 or 242-8009 with questions.

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Issue of 28 February 2008

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