Not all pet adoptions are created equal.
Former bomb-sniffing dog finds a new home!
While most are people walking into a shelter, pound or other animal organization to pick out the animal of their choice, there are others that don’t fit easily into a box. This article is one of the most heart-warming we’ve read in quite some time and is a wonderful example of the joy and happiness animals can bring to their owners / families.
Gunner, trained to sniff out explosive booby-traps and was deployed with Marines in Afghanistan last fall
It tells of, a dog bred to sniff out bombs in Afghanistan who eventually had to be taken off active duty because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Deb and Dan Dunham, who lost their son Jason, a Marine who incredibly jumped on a grenade so that two of his fellow soldiers could survive.
A true hero - Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham covered a grenade shielding his fellow brigade.
A previous article on Gunner, who had been declared “excess” by the Marines after he stopped being able to search for bombs, had caused many people to ask to adopt him, including the Dunhams. A few weeks ago, the Dunhams drove from their home in New York to South Carolina to pick Gunner up at a kennel. This new family unit is now helping each other to overcome their shared traumas, aided by the bond between dogs and humans.
We’ve long been amazed at our dogs’ resilience and ability to shrug off any and all adversity they might have faced before we got them; the story we’re attaching here is on a wholly different, elevated level. It is tough not to get a lump in your throat while you read it.
Jason's parents visiting their son's gravesite.
Kudos to the Dunham for any multitude of reasons and to Gunner for proving that animals are incredible givers and receivers of love.
Gunner's new home!