Groups offer temporary homes to military pets

When Maj. Randall Baucom received word that the Army was sending him to Iraq in 2006, he immediately began to worry about what he would do with his two mixed-breed dogs.

Buster and Little Girl, a 70-pound male and a 40-pound female, were about a year old and a bit rambunctious, said Baucom, who was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

"I didn't want to put them in a kennel for 15 months," he said. "I don't know what kind of dogs I would have gotten back if they would have been in a kennel for 15 months."

He was relieved when he found Guardian Angels for Soldiers' Pet, a volunteer organization that helps men and women in any branch of the armed forces find temporary homes for pets. It is one of several pet foster programs that offer such free help to military personnel.

The organizations help reduce the stress on troops preparing for overseas deployment, said Specialist Stephanie Dortch, who works in the soldier readiness processing center at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Ind. Dortch called the volunteers "awesome. They're sacrificing a lot to have these pets and eventually give them back to their owners."

In this photo taken on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, Gary Marshall plays ball with "Kelli," a two-year-dog German Shepard, belonging to US Army member Matthew Snider, not seen, who is currently stationed in Korea. He's fostering "Kelli" at this home in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

One volunteer, Gary Marshall, considers it a chance to give back to the troops defending the country.

"We thought it would be really nice to help out somebody in the military - to provide a nice home for their dog," said the Santa Paula, Calif., resident.

Marshall and his wife, Angie, recently opened their home to Kelli, a 2-year-old German shepherd owned by Matthew Snyder, who is stationed with the Army in South Korea. Only their 8-year-old yellow Labrador retriever was apprehensive, Marshall said.

"He didn't know quite what to do with this dog," Marshall said. Now, the two have fun playing together, he said.

Many volunteers send regular reports to the pets' owners, said Steve Albin, founder of NetPets in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"It boosts their morale to see their pets doing so well," he said.

Albin started arranging pet fosters after Sept. 11 when many military members were quickly being deployed overseas. Before that, it was not uncommon for military personnel to be forced to leave their animals at Humane Society shelters if they were unable to find people to care for them, he said.

His organization has provided homes for more than 12,000 pets, he said.

"We've fostered horses, rabbits, tortoises, small exotics down to hermit crabs," Albin said.

Although foster families do not receive payment for caring for the animals, the pet owners typically pay for food, veterinary care and other day-to-day expenses, he said.

A typical fostering with Guardian Angels lasts three to six months but can extend to a year or longer, said Jessica Semon, spokeswoman for the organization, headquartered in Hot Springs, Ark.

Often, military personnel will remain in touch with the foster families after they've retrieved their animals, Albin said, and some rely on the same families during subsequent deployments.

Although Susan Hagrelius is willing to foster anyone's cat through the Operation Noble Foster program, Aeyne Dizicksa has "first dibs," she said. Hagrelius is currently caring for Dizicksa's cat, Sweet Magnolia, for the second time.

The women, who met in 2002, have exchanged Christmas cards and notes over the years. Dizicksa sent Hagrelius, who refuses to take money for food and litter, a cuckoo clock from Germany and a prayer rug from Kuwait.

Hagrelius enjoys the cat's company, but looks forward to the day that Sweet Magnolia is reunited with her owner -- because that will mean that Dizicksa is out of harm's way.

"I'm relieved when she comes home," said Hagrelius of Cary, Ill. In the meantime, she hopes Dizicksa, an Army reservist, is comforted knowing that her beloved pet is in good hands.

For Baucom, knowing that Buster and Little Girl were being cared for in a private home gave him peace of mind during his overseas duty, he said. And when he came home in 2008, the return of his pets made a huge difference. "They helped me integrate faster," he said. "They were my support system. I never felt alone."

On the Net:

* www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org/

* www.operationnoblefoster.org/

* www.netpets.org/