Family wants fallen Marine’s military dog: Corps resists adoption efforts...

[dogs4life]

In a nutshell:

US Marine Corp dog handler Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee tragically died in the line of duty on March 21 in Fallujah, Iraq. Lee's family is petitioning for retirement and trying to adopt Lex, Lee's military GSD. The family states Lex is at the MCLB kennels in Albany, Georgia for further training. Lee's mother states to have search and rescue training and feels confident in her ability to own her son's ex-military dog.

News Articles:

NavyTimes - Dec 2, 2007 - by Andrew Tilghman
Family wants fallen Marine’s military dog: Corps resists adoption efforts until German shepherd is retired

The Meridian Star from Meridian, MS - Nov 25, 2007 - By Brian Livingston
Waiting to come home: Attempts to adopt son’s war dog unsuccessful so far

WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS - Nov 22, 2007 - By Roslyn Anderson
Article: Family Trying to Get Slain Marine's Dog Here
Video: Family of Fallen Marine Wants to Adopt Military Dog

The Albany Journal - Nov 22, 2007 - by Kevin Hogencamp
Albany K-9 Focus of National Petition


Related Links:

Link to Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee’s Family's Blog to Retire Lex

Blog: In Memory of Cpl Dustin Jerome Lee
Warning, this blog is emotional and might make you cry, the video of his homecoming/memorial plays automatically

Official Petition: Retire Military Working Dog Lex

NBC News - Dec. 6, 2005 - By Chip Reid
An Airman, a dog and an act of Congress: The story of Tech Sgt. Jamie Dana and her bomb-sniffing canine

United States War Dogs Association - non-profit organization of US military working dog handlers
Fluffy from Operation Iraqi Freedom

Navy Article - Feb 1, 2007 - By Art Frith
Military Working Dog Retires to Loving Home
Press release about a Naval Dog adopted out

[LilacDragon]

I can certainly understand the family's feelings but Lex was NOT their son's dog - he belongs to the Corp. There was a ton of money spent on his training and care. He may well save his next handler's life.

If, or when, he is ready to retire, then sure - let him go live with this family. But until then, he is doing a job that he loves.

[dogs4life]

LilacDragon - I had the same initial reaction, the dog is Corp property and they will retire the dog when they feel it's time and then the family can adopt the dog.

After reading the various news articles, I'm actually against the family adopting this dog to keep their son's memory alive. This is a highly trained GSD and needs his handler (who unfortunately died) or another handler who understands what this dog is trained to do. It's really a tragic story and hope Lex has a wonderful life and wonderful retirement. It's wonderful to see a family fight for the dog whether they are right or wrong, they obviously love dogs and miss their son dearly.

[LilacDragon]

The military has some pretty stringent standards concerning their working dogs. Very few of them would be content as family pets. Even if Lex was utilized as a SAR dog - civilian SAR dogs aren't nearly as "busy" as a military dog. These dogs WORK 8 hours a day, seven days a week and they thrive doing it.

Back in the 80's, my ex was stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany with Security Police. Among our friends were several dog handlers. Even with my years of large dog experience, I wouldn't feel comfortable having most of these dogs in my home. There is just no way that I could keep them busy enough.

[dogs4life]

I gathered this particular dog was a working dog on the front line not a SAR dog but not sure. The mother of the soldier was reported to have SAR training but not sure what this particular dog's "job" was. It'd be interesting to see what happens though. It's an emotionally charged subject and it is election time....I hope people do right by the dog.

[dogs4life]

Wow, their petition worked...I'm a little surprised and worried. Is this going to be a trend? Is this because it's close to Christmas? Is it because a politician got involved? Is it because the media got involved?

Can a family really handle a bomb-sniffing military dog? What's most likely going to happen if the dog is not kept busy enough or has little leadership?

They are scheduled to pickup Lex from the Albany base on Dec. 21, 2007.


Marines let family adopt slain son's bomb-sniffing dog

Published on: 12/12/07
By RUSS BYNUM AP Military Writer

A Georgia-based military dog wounded in Iraq by an explosion that killed its Marine handler will be released from duty so it can be adopted by the slain Marine's family, the Marine Corps said Wednesday.

The adoption of the 8-year-old German shepherd, Lex, by the family of fallen Marine Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee marks the first time the U.S. military has granted early retirement to a working dog so it could live with a former handler's family, officials said.

[GSD]

With an election season starting up, and the political feeling in this country and feelings for the war, emotion won out on this one, and not what is right. The dog should remain and save the lives of soldiers fighting the war over there.

If its not capable of that, then bring him home and put him in the airports or shipping docks, etc and sniff bombs there. Sorry, but some lady with SAR experience isn't a bomb dog handler, and it was never her son's dog.

i'm sorry for their loss, but this is just selfish, beyond selfish. How many soldiers will die because this dog won't be there to find the bombs before they detonate?????

They should be ashamed. I don't claim to know what they're going thru, but the military, the family, and the gov't are all WRONG on this one.

It takes time and thousands of dollars to get and train these dogs, they aren't in surplus, in fact they are in very short supply. If he was truely unable to work any longer, then fine let him be adopted to the family. But for some reason I don't think this is the case.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Originally Posted by GSD

With an election season starting up, and the political feeling in this country and feelings for the war, emotion won out on this one, and not what is right. The dog should remain and save the lives of soldiers fighting the war over there.

If its not capable of that, then bring him home and put him in the airports or shipping docks, etc and sniff bombs there. Sorry, but some lady with SAR experience isn't a bomb dog handler, and it was never her son's dog.

i'm sorry for their loss, but this is just selfish, beyond selfish. How many soldiers will die because this dog won't be there to find the bombs before they detonate?????

They should be ashamed. I don't claim to know what they're going thru, but the military, the family, and the gov't are all WRONG on this one.

It takes time and thousands of dollars to get and train these dogs, they aren't in surplus, in fact they are in very short supply. If he was truely unable to work any longer, then fine let him be adopted to the family. But for some reason I don't think this is the case.

I totally agree. Shameful situation. Curious to see if they follow up on how the dog does in "early retirement." *shakes head*

[dogs4life]

I agree, the family should not have pushed for the dog...they should keep their son's memory alive in a more positive manner. I wonder if they regret or will regret petitioning for the dogs early retirement. I wonder if they will realize they were not acting in the best interest of the dog.

Do you think the Marine Corp will give the family a "decoy" dog? I was thinking about this last night....what if they give the family a different dog who was already retiring, how would they know the difference?

[dogs4life]

The AKC could not resist a prime opportunity for Free Advertisement by getting involved.

American Kennel Club - AKC Salutes Slain Military Hero and His Faithful Canine Companion

AKC Companion Animal Recovery's Dr. Carmen Battaglia attended a ceremony at the US Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia on December 21 to honor Cpl. Lee, his family and Lex.

After the ceremony Dr. Battaglia presented the family, on AKC's behalf, a free lifetime enrollment in AKC Companion Animal Recovery, a non-profit that provides 24-hour recovery services to lost pets, and a complimentary one year AKC Pet Healthcare Wellness Plan worth over $500. The AKC also presented the family with a certificate honoring the dog's bravery, a gift basket of dog products, and a bronze statue commemorating the place of the loyal German Shepherd in our society.