Amendment giving soldiers opportunity to adopt military dogs advances

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) was happy to see that his amendment giving injured service members priority in adopting their military working dogs was added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 last week.

“This problem came to my attention last year when I helped reunite Spc. Brent Grommet and his military working dog, Matty, who were separated after he was wounded overseas,” Hudson explained “I was fortunate to meet Brent and Matty, and it was clear to me that our war dogs save lives not only on the battlefield, but also here at home.”

Currently, the U.S. Department of Defense is not legally required to contact a military working dog’s original handler before the dog is retired or put out for adoption. After helping to reunite Grommet and his retired military dog, and seeing the potential benefits of such a program, Hudson worked closely with fellow legislator Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) to amend the language in the NDAA. Under the proposed legislation, the Department of Defense would be required to contact the service members in the order that they handled the military working dog, asking if they would like to adopt the animal.

“The simple fact is, we shouldn’t make our war heroes jump through hoops to adopt their combat companions,” Hudson added. “This amendment is the solution to make it easier to reunite our service members and their trusted dogs and help honor their special bond.”