Dog lovers will know exactly what I am saying here. Man, do I need a dog! Recently, this need for dog really jumped out at me.
In 22 October’s 2005 “Stars and Stripes” there is a front page story about John Smathers, a former U.S. Army Reservist’s that served in Iraq. While here he and his Army buddies befriended a stray dog. They named the dog Scout. Well, as the story goes, Scout soon became an important part of the squad. Scout provided security at night he barked at intruders and alerted the good guys. In short, here was a bunch of tough guys that learned to depend on (and love) a little Iraqi stray dog
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Captain Smathers and Scout
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Eventually, Smathers unit’s mission ended. All the troops went home. Scout the dog trooper stayed in Iraq. Smathers then spent the next 17 months doing whole lot of finagling (probably paid some money too) to bring Scout to Maryland. Recently, the two were united. Scout and Smathers photos made front page news.
So there we have it, a story about an American warrior and his love for a dog. Not a bad story I thought. Of all stories the famous “Stars and Stripes” could find to write about they picked one about a soldier and his dog. I have some thoughts about dogs and their importance to us.
As a dog lover, I know about the deep emotional connections that can develop between a man and his dog. Smathers rediscovered that connection too. It is the same connection that we all heard about as children as our parents (hopefully) told us stories about a little boy (or girl) and his (or her) dog (pet). These are great stories. These are stories about love and devotion. These are stories about friendship. Maybe we were even blessed with a wonderful dog of our own. The folks at “Stars and Stripes” certainly know the importance of a soldier’s relationship with his dog.
Now as a fully grown man (however, some have said all adults are just children grown tall) stationed in Iraq I am rediscovering the same truth. I need a dog! All the stuff I heard as a child about dogs is true. They are close buddies. They do know about, and practice, loyalty. They want to be petted. They do become our friends and we miss them. In war they can save us and our friends (And yes they can be a headache too). It is all true.
So, here I am in Iraq. I just finished reviewing pictures of a recent car bombing. People were killed, Iraqis and not Americans. (I have uncomfortable feelings and some vague guilt with that thought). And still here I am thinking about dogs. Given the choice of thinking about car bombings and war vs. dogs, I will take dogs, thank you. The “Stars and Stripes” got that right, sometimes it is better to think about dogs. Man, do I need a dog!
Alan Ingram
Psychologist
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