During a recent trip to Prince George County animal shelter, I noticed a troubling sign posted that said that the shelter was unable to adopt any Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Doberman, or Chow to any resident of Fort Lee, the local military base in the tri-cities. Unfortunately for the two very sweet Rottweilers I saw at the shelter, most of the county and surrounding areas are stationed at Fort Lee. At the time I mistakenly thought that this was just a local rule that only this particular base had, however I am deeply saddened to find that our government is discriminating against these breeds at all military bases. Many soldiers who sacrifice all for our country are returning home to find that now are expected to get rid of their companions simply because of their breed and not any violent actions they have committed. What thanks is this to the men and women who are brave enough to fight for our freedom? As for the fate of these dogs, the new ruling, which became effective in January, has no answers. When journalist Steve Dale contacted a representative from Fort Bragg regarding this matter, he was told by the spokesperson that she "didn't know enough about dogs to comment". The fact is that most of these dogs will either end up running at large or be forced into already overcrowded shelters, who, in turn, won't be able to adopt them out to other military families. The major problem is that military families usually are the majority in military areas, so the dogs will have little chance of being adopted. For now, dog lovers will need to go a little further than just supporting our troops, we now need to support their dogs as well. Contact your US Representative and let them know that just as with people, discrimination against animals is unacceptable.
