Written by Terri Crisp
Terri Crisp is an award-winning artist, author of three books, and, until recently, a world-traveling animal welfare protector. In 2007, Terri began intrepid work rescuing animals for US service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her 50-odd trips to the Middle East saved hundreds of dogs and cats (and one donkey) and brought them back to the US to be reunited with their veteran adopters. Her post below is about two of those animals, Bonzo and Sandy, who are looking for a loving forever home, preferably with a veteran.
This is a Lost Dog Post.
But no one is not actually missing. Instead, two dogs are in need of a new forever home after they lost their Best Friend.
Everyone thinks their dog is the best, and you know what, they are right. However, Sandy and Bonzo are exceptional.
They were born in Iraq in 2013. As puppies, they were just too cute for American soldiers to resist. Many of the men and women serving in Iraq missed their own pets at home. The animals that were befriended helped to fill a big void, providing companionship and unconditional love. Many of these kindhearted Americans said it was their battle buddy that got them through some of the toughest days during their deployment.
There is a saying in the military, “No buddy gets left behind.” That included these dogs.
During the war in Iraq, there was an animal organization that helped service members get the dogs or cats they had befriended in the war zone to the U.S so they could become a part of their stateside family. Sandy and Bonzo were two of the lucky ones.
Life for dogs in Iraq is short and miserable. The culture views dogs as vermin, just like rats. People will go out of their way to harm dogs, and children are the worst culprits.
Sandy and Bonzo left Iraq behind to live with their soldier on the plains of Colorado. For 9 years they experienced the good life, having acreage to explore, plenty to eat, a soft bed to sleep on and the love of their mom – a retired career veteran – to love them. The days of children throwing rocks at them became a forgotten memory.
In January 2023, their mom passed away unexpectedly, leaving Sandy and Bonzo homeless.
Because no one in the soldier’s family could take the dogs, they were picked up by animal services. When the person who got Sandy and Bonzo from Iraq to Colorado learned what had happened, she drove 2,391 miles from California to save them.
Sandy and Bonzo are now safely in a foster home in Northern California and in need of a new forever home – together.
They have lost so much and losing one another is just not an option. Through all the changes they have been through since January, they are the constant in each other’s lives.
This is an opportunity for a family or individual to add two exceptional dogs to their family. A veteran or military family would be an excellent match. Sandy and Bonzo are almost 10 but they have a lot of life still to live. They are both easy going, friendly towards people and other dogs, healthy, fully vaccinated, smart, housebroken, cat friendly, spayed/neutered, good with children, obedient, love to go on walks, and ready to love their new family.
The only thing that must be taken into consideration, is that Bonzo does not like chickens.
This is also an opportunity to thank an animal loving veteran, with a heart of gold, for her service. She would be devastated if anything happened to Sandy and Bonzo, and separating these two buddies would just be beyond heartbreaking. Whoever opens their home to these two wartime buddies will know the joy of loving them like their mom did.
If you feel you might be a good match for these two buddies, you can send a message to the email address below.
Again, ONLY REACH OUT IF YOU ARE GENUINELY INTERESTED! The dogs need to remain in the Sacramento and surrounding area. A home inspection will be done as well as contacting a veterinarian that the family/person uses. Bonzo and Sandy will have the last word. They will be able to tell if they like any potential adopters or not.
The adoption will be on a 30-day trial and during that time a couple visits will be made to see the dogs and to tell how they are getting along. Bonzo and Sandy mean the world to the person who is looking for a new home for them. If she did not already have 6 dogs, she would add Sandy and Bonzo to her family. She is hoping that once the dogs are in their new home, she will be able to visit them periodically.
For more information email TLCrisp@outlook.com.
Sandy and Bonzo say, “Thank you for considering adopting them.”
Granted, they can’t talk but their wagging tails convey the message.
