No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home From the Combat Zone (21 page)

- Dena

The plans to get Tiger home moved forward quicker than I expected. Jessie had made contact with the person in Kabul, and they agreed to hand over Tiger on April 21, just before she left Afghanistan. "A driver is coming from Jalalabad to pick up Tiger," Jessie wrote, "and will take him to a safe house in Kabul. They'll keep him there until arrangements are made for his flight to the States from Islamabad."

My first thought was "Where the heck are jalalabad and Islamabad?' I wished now that I'd paid more attention in my school geography class. Grateful for Internet maps, I quickly located Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, and learned that Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan. Apparently Tiger would remain in the capital for five days, enough time to arrange his transport and health documents. Then he would fly on Pakistan Airways to England and from there to New York. This would be one hell of a long journey for Tiger, but it was his only option. What concerned me the most was that Tiger would be flying the whole distance alone.

When the day for Tiger's pickup arrived, I got an e-mail from Jessie.

Two of our guys took Tiger this morning and brought him to the driver in Jalalabad. When they took my dog away, it felt like I was losing a part of me. During my Army career, I have learned to overcome my feelings, so I don't often show my emotions, but when that truck drove away from the base, I cried. I have been fighting the tears and losing ever since.

-Jessie

Within days Jessie redeployed and made it safely home to the American base where she was stationed. Tiger in the meantime waited in Kabul, probably confused as to what was going on.

As the Afghan pup's arrival date approached, Dena's students grew more excited. Diligent efforts to bring Tiger home had ultimately resulted in their raising a total of $11,000, far exceeding anyone's expectations. Not only would Tiger get a ticket home, but the rescue of two other animals from Iraq would also be covered, thanks to a group of kids who believed they could make a difference and proved it big time. Dena sent me another email that showed once again how eager people were to help the girls in their effort to save Jessie's dog.

Terri, my kids have been plain unstoppable. Everyone said they couldn't possibly do it, even our school principal, Jim. But he also promised that no matter what the kids decided to do, he would support them. So, I went in yesterday and said, "Jim, I need a bus to take my kids to the airport, and I'm not going to take no for an answer." Finding an extra bus around this town is like looking for a lost contact in the snow, but Jim bent over backwards to get one for us. This means all the girls will be able to meet Tiger at the airport and welcome him to the States.

- Dena

It was indeed an honor to finally meet the twelve students and their dedicated advisor. On May 6, 2008, when my colleagues and I drove into the Pakistan Airlines cargo area at JFK and saw the school bus, I was even more excited than I had expected. With me was jean, the mother of a soldier whose dog, Dusty, had been rescued from Iraq two weeks earlier. Jean had met my flight and driven me to the train station to pick up JD on our way to meet Tiger. My boss was so impressed with the girls' commitment and fundraising results that he wanted to be there to thank them personally.

Dripping wet from the torrential rain, the three of us climbed onto the bus. Loud music accentuated a celebratory party atmosphere. Dena lost no time in greeting me with a big hug.

"I'm so glad to be here and even more excited to finally meet all of you," I said after the music had been turned down. "You guys are absolutely amazing!" Wide smiles appeared down the rows of seats. "What you have done for Tiger and Jessie proves that every little effort made on your part makes a huge impact on someone else's life. Not a single moment of your time was wasted. You should be very proud of yourselves."

The kids began to talk all at once. Their excitement and energy were beautiful. JD took his turn to praise the girls and to tell them how everyone at SPCA International had agreed that they were a force to be reckoned with. "That's another way of saying you guys rock," JD said, followed by the girls' cheers and high-fives.

"Any word on Tiger's flight yet?" I asked. Dena had been following the flight's progress since they had reached the airport an hour earlier.

"His plane should be touching down in about forty minutes. The freight agent said it will take another forty-five minutes to get Tiger unloaded and moved to this building."

We helped to pass the time by sharing stories. The students were animated as they talked about their fundraising experiences and the other activities of the animal rights club. It did my heart good to know that kids like these would be the future guardians of animals. The girls also wanted to hear more about the soldiers' dogs and cats in the Operation Baghdad Pups program. While my stories unfolded, tears trickled down faces, and occasional bursts of laughter drowned out the sound of pummeling rain on the school bus rooftop. As we took refuge together from the storm, I knew this was one afternoon none of us would ever forget.

"Tiger's plane has landed!" Dena had just returned from the agent's counter and now stood at the front of the bus. "Okay, it's time to go and greet our Afghan friend. Bring the posters!" The kids had rolled them up inside garbage bags. Their homemade signs read: WELCOME TO AMERICA, TIGER!

We huddled under umbrellas and made the dash across the parking lot to the Pakistan Airways cargo office. When we entered the building, the poor man at the cargo counter must have thought he had been invaded. The students couldn't wait to tell him about their mission, and he was visibly moved. As the big moment got closer, the noise level escalated. The anticipation was intoxicating.

The sound of an approaching forklift gave us the first clue that Tiger was in the building. When a passing cargo employee gave us a thumbs-up, we knew our wait was just about over. The kids lined up, holding their posters proudly in front of them. Dena took pictures of them-not an easy feat since no one would stand still. The building contained as much energy as a high school pep rally for a league title football game.

One of the students suddenly screamed, "There he is!"

I spun around to see a forklift driving toward us, carrying a large airline crate on a wooden pallet. No doubt about it, Tiger was home.

The students were sensitive enough to realize that surrounding Tiger might overwhelm him, so they generously refrained from showing him how glad they were to meet him. One could only imagine what he had been through over the last couple of weeks and what was going through his head right then. He had to be scared, tired, and desperate for a potty break.

After the forklift operator lowered Tiger's crate to the ground, I cut the zip-ties that had secured the crate en route. Before opening the door, I kneeled down and greeted the world traveler in a quiet voice. "What do you think of all this?" I asked while Tiger stared back at me. Once he began to wag his tail, I knew he was ready. Speaking softly, I opened the crate door and carefully clipped a leash onto Tiger's collar.

Jessie wasn't exaggerating about Tiger's size. Although he was still just a puppy, the long-legged Afghan dog filled the height of his crate. He was glad to leave the confines of his travel container and trotted happily beside me as I took him out for a potty break. Tiger didn't seem to mind the rain; he was more interested in finding just the right place to lift his leg. As soon as Tiger found the spot, he peed and peed and peed. The look of contentment on his face made me laugh.

For the next hour we stayed in the cargo warehouse, out of the interminable downpour, and we slowly became acquainted with the giant puppy.

"Oh, look," one of the girls said. "He held up his paw when I asked for a shake."

Tiger looked around at the girls, wagging his tail and panting as if waiting for another command. He liked being the center of attention.

"See if he knows how to sit and lie down," another girl coaxed.

"Sit, Tiger. Now lie down. Good boy! You're such a smart puppy, aren't you?" The dog's whole body wiggled in response.

No matter what Tiger did or didn't do, the girls praised him. After the long hours spent in his crate, this must have seemed like heaven. He enjoyed their affection most of all and responded to their requests for a cuddle by leaning against the girls' legs and looking up with innocent puppy eyes directly into theirs.

Fair Lawn High School animal welfare club welcoming Tiger home Terri Crisp

Tiger and one of his many new toys Jessica Walker

"Aw, he's so sweet. He's such a softie. I wish he was mine."

After Tiger seemed comfortable with his new star status, I stood back and placed a call to Jessie.

"He's here," I said as soon as she answered. "And he's just fine."

Jessie began to yell, and everyone could hear her voice as I held the phone away from my ear. By then there wasn't a dry eye among the group. The moment we had all been working toward was even better than we had imagined. It was a grand day indeed.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Jessie said when she was finally able to talk. "And please tell the students how much I appreciate everything they did. They are awesome. I will never be able to repay all the people who made it possible for me to keep my dog." She paused to catch her breath. "How do I ever thank you?"

"By coming home alive and well. People here are just glad to do whatever they can to support our heroes."

When this American soldier, who had risked her life every day in the middle of Afghanistan, said to me, "You are all my heroes," it took my breath away.

My eyes scanned the group of girls and landed on Dena, who was animated and laughing. It was her suggestion, after seeing the Operation Baghdad Pups story on the news that resulted in this wonderful scene. Dena's support of the kids' club project had shown them they could achieve miracles. What a gift to give to a youngster. What a gift to give Tiger and Jessie.

As I stood there marveling at all the outstanding people around me, I had no inkling of the important role that Dena was going to play a few weeks later, when Operation Baghdad Pups took on the most challenging rescue it had yet to pull off.