Staff Sgt. Jason Albrecht runs military working dog, Markey, through an obstacle course July 13, 2011, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., during an obedience training session. Albrecht is a senior military working dog handler assigned to the 20th Security Forces Squadron, and Markey is a military working dog. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

Marine Pfc. Colton Rusk, 20, was shot on Dec. 6, 2010, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, I Marine Expeditionary Force based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, he was only six weeks into his first deployment. His dog, Eli, a black Laborador retriever, was not injured. Eli had crawled on top of Pfc. Rusk’s body during the firefight to shield him. The Defense Department allowed Pfc. Rusk’s family to adopt Eli.

Rest in peace, young Marine.

Thanks to Dennis Herrick for sharing his memorial information.

Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – A Marine with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), follows his military working dog on patrol. The Marines conducted hundreds of dismounted and mounted patrols through their six months in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Courtesy Photo by Cpl. Marco Mancha)

letter-to-dog letter-to-dog-pink

Today at the post office there were a couple of great surprises awaiting, one of which was a box from Hadley Middle School in Homer Glen, Illinois with great letters to the handlers and dogs inside. There were also some toys and treats.

We love receiving these to send and wanted to thank the students and, of course, the teacher who made it all possible. (Apparently, there is someone at Hadley Middle School that is as big a fan of glitter as I am! : ))

We will get these out in the next shipment and really appreciate your efforts!

Staff Sgt. James R. Ide V, 32, was killed Aug. 29, 2010, near Hyderabad, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire. He was a specialized dog handler with the 230th Military Police Company, based in Sembach, Germany. He was a native of Festus, Mo. Sgt. Ide left a wife and two children. His dog Ddaphine was a 4-year-old Belgian malinois, which was wounded but survived. Staff Sgt. Ide was a veteran of two tours in Iraq and a tour of duty in South Korea.

Many thanks to Dennis Herrick for allowing me to borrow this memorial.

Or Hanukkah, or Winter Solstice or whatever holiday you support, we send goodies to deployed military working dogs and handlers.

How can you help military dogs this season? We have some suggestions: donations are always a great way to go as they can be turned into anything from KONGs, to treats to the nearly $13 per box in shipping expenses. Do you have a contact at a company that could send us in-kind donations? WE LOVE to get items that are suitable to include in packages that we don’t have to spend money to receive: dog treats or toys, socks, hand warmers, snacks, grooming supplies etc.
You can online shop via iGive.com and a portion of the purchases you were going to make anyway can be funneled to our organization. You can partner with your friends, family, church members or other organizations and do a small fundraiser.

However you choose to help military K9s for the holidays, we will be sending packages and you can assured that somewhere in the middle of the Afghanistan mountains, these teams will know that they are remembered and appreciated.