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Dear
Jeremy,
I’m
sure by now you’ve seen the horrible news that well over 50 K-9s (it
could be hundreds) were completely abandoned in the U.S. military
Afghanistan withdrawal.
What a
disgrace! Not only did we leave American men and women behind, we
abandoned man’s best friend as well.
These K-9s
are heroes who put their lives on the line for us and for their partners
serving with them there.
All to
be abandoned when the military left the country for good. Now, they may
end up being killed by the Taliban!
That’s
why there have been so many headlines just like this one lately that
point out the brutal reality:
Project
K-9 Hero is getting calls left and right to do something to help these
heroes.
Before
I tell you more about that, let me tell you about Pito, a K-9 we once
saved who shared a similar fate as these K-9s left behind in
Afghanistan...
He has
had a tough life and experienced a lot during his service to our country.
I hope you will share Pito’s story with friends and family you know so
they know the challenges our K-9 heroes face and why we must help and
save their lives. Especially why we must do everything we can to bring
home the heroes most recently abandoned in Afghanistan.
As for
Pito, near the end of his government service, he was nearly shot dead!
The
government contractors K-9 Pito worked for were going to put a bullet in
his head.
All
just because they weren’t prepared to bring him home or take care of him
in retirement after his brave tour of duty in Afghanistan. Let me explain
further...
Pito
neared the end of his duty and was no longer useful, apparently. It
would’ve cost too much to keep him going or send him home, they said. He
was no longer at the peak of his performance and not worth any cost.
So
they decided it was better to save the money and just kill him then and
there!
Luckily,
a friend of mine who worked with an organization supporting American
diplomatic missions overseas, just as I was at the time, (I must keep her
name secret) found out what was going to happen to Pito.
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K-9
Pito served his country bravely, and nearly didn’t make it out of
Afghanistan alive. Now in his retirement, his health is declining and
he needs special care. Will you help him?
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Then
she frantically picked up the phone, and contacted me, knowing I ran
Project K-9 Hero and asked us to help save him.
I had
to do something. I knew it was bad for many K-9s, but I never thought
someone would coldly choose to just shoot a K-9 dead rather than bring
them home due to travel expenses.
The
truth, K-9s like Pito are sometimes abandoned, or even euthanized.
One
thing is certain - Pito would be dead if it weren’t for the help of my
friend.
I
think that’s terrible and wrong. I have no doubt you agree.
As a
K-9 working overseas, Pito performed many dangerous tasks and kept many
people safe. Including you and me, here at home.
Explosive
detection dogs (EDDs) like him have to work under extremely harsh
conditions.
There’s
always the threat of the explosives going off.
And he
protected top level diplomats and officials, most of which is classified
so I can’t even tell you about it.
But
on top of that K-9s like Pito work outside all day in the hot desert sun,
constantly moving and using every part of their body and senses.
Eventually,
they get worn down.
Well,
Pito got to that point and the contracting company that put him to work
decided it was time to put him down.
All
because there was no money to care for Pito when he retired. Not even
money to bring him home.
There
were a few moments when I was working with my friend to get him out of
there safely when I thought, “My God, they’ll kill him if we
don’t bring him home”.
I’d be
damned if I was going to let that happen.
Pito
is a veteran too. He deserves to live the retirement he earned.
My
friend and I were able to get Pito safely home, where for a little while
he served his community at home in big recreational theme parks and other
places.
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Pito
was lucky to make it home safely from Afghanistan before they could
euthanize him. He then served the public here at home keeping them
safe.
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Now,
after many years of service, he is finally retired.
However,
some of K-9 Pito’s troubles are now just beginning.
His
health is starting to decline. It happens to all K-9s. Their bodies are
put under a lot of stress physically.
Project
K-9 Hero has covered thousands of dollars in medical bill for Pito already,
and we are willing to do anything for him!
I hate
to say it, but it looks like K-9 Pito is going to need additional medical
help in the near future. His health is ok, but it is declining over time.
It is just the nature of his line of work.
He
sacrificed a lot for us, and now it’s our turn to take care of him.
The
expense can be thousands of dollars, far too much money for any handler
or their family to bear. That’s why Project K-9 Hero exists - to get
these heroes the care they earned for their retirement.
Each
month we spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars on
emergency surgeries or other procedures for K-9s like Pito. There are a
lot of other bills that add up too.
In our
program, there are currently 145 K-9s.
And
now, with what has happened with U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan and so
many of these heroes left behind, we may be about to be helping many more
of these four legged heroes.
It is
unclear just how many were left behind, but if there is any way we can help
them get home, or provide care for any of them once they are back in the
states, we will do so, no questions asked.
We
will not abandoned them like they’ve already been once before.
The
problem is, our budget right now is probably in the tightest spot it’s
ever been in.
We’re
doing everything we can to save the lives of K-9 heroes-including the
heroes abandoned in Afghanistan just several days ago. Yes, they are like
Pito - they were completely left behind in a foreign country.
That’s
no way to treat them. We will make sure that Pito and all the other K-9s
in our program get the emergency and long term help that they need.
But we can’t do it without the support of good friends
like you.
Please, will you help Project K-9 Hero take care of K-9
Pito and all the other heroes in our program?
With
so many lives on the line in light of the horrible news, time is of the
essence, and we could end up with even more K-9s in our program.
You
have helped us save lives in the past, and the next one you help us save
might be Pito’s.
Can he count on you?
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Respectfully,
Jason
Johnson
Founder, Project K-9 Hero
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