We must stand with canine heroes like Conan

The story hit the headlines not only because it involved a beautiful military dog, but because the animal was involved in the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It also didn't hurt the publicity that President Trump called attention to the raid, the killing and the role of the dog in the whole scenario.

Media jumped on the story and played up the fact that the dog was also injured in the chase that led to al-Baghdadi blowing himself up – along with three of his children – in a tunnel under a compound in Syria.

Trump praised the dog for doing "such a GREAT job in capturing and killing the leader of ISIS. …" He told the public that a "beautiful" and "talented" dog had been injured in the raid and has promised there would be special visit to the White House for the animal. At first only a picture of the dog was released with no name, because that was still classified.

It didn't take long, though, before a name was announced – Conan, a female Belgian Malinois, and it's reported she was named after the comedian Conan O'Brien.

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Belgian Malinois are described as very aggressive, smart and loyal. (They're also beautiful!) The breed is favored for work in the military and in law enforcement, along with German and Dutch Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers. In fact, one was part of the raid that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden.

During the chase in the tunnel, Conan was injured by exposed electrical cables. According to Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Miley, Conan has been treated and returned to duty. She is a 4-year veteran having been assigned to Delta Force and has served on 50 combat missions.

Most people don't realize how important canines are to the successful completion of many military missions in all branches of the service. Most of the animals are trained at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Their specialties range from patrol to drug and explosive detection along with other specialized duties. The U.S. War Dog Association says the breeds are the first line of defense.

This was a wonderful opportunity for the public to be aware of the important role of dogs in our military. Dogs have served in all of our wars going back to our founding. But there is another side of the story – what happens to the animals when they reach the end of their active-duty life due to age or injury, and are "retired"?

The sad truth is that our government hasn't take care of them. This situation finally got a lot of media attention after Vietnam when it was widely reported that many of the animals who had worked side-by-side with our military were abandoned in country or just killed. They are were just considered disposable military equipment.

That started to get more attention as the military members who worked with the animals started to complain that they weren't being allowed to have their dogs shipped home so they could be adopted.

When those rules started to be changed, the animals were allowed home, but if they had any medical conditions that needed treatment, there was no financial assistance from the federal government. Anyone who has a dog knows that veterinary care is not cheap, nor is the care and feeding of the animal, so for the family of a veteran, often on a tight budget, it is a real problem.

There still is no government assistance for these four-legged veterans, but there are a few nonprofits that focus on such situations and provide financial assistance to the families caring for the dogs.

One I recently became aware of is "Project K-9 Hero," founded and operated by Jason Johnson who has worked for 25 years as a field canine coordinator for the government. He has trained animals and developed the courses for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies.

Johnson's goal now is to provide financial help for the vets who adopt their military buddies when they are retired. He aims to provide medical, food and other expenses for dogs in the program who have special needs or are a financial burden on their families. He also finds homes for canines when their family just can't care for them.

Think about it: As many people here at home are attempting to stop rescue organizations from euthanizing unwanted pets, our government uses smart, highly trained and courageous dogs who enable our military to successfully complete their missions and then … they just get rid of them.

That has to stop. It is not only criminal; it is immoral. We need to support the legitimate organizations that are attempting to help, and we must support the veterans who want to save the lives of their canine buddies who put their lives on the line in battle.

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