Following the withdrawal of the final U.S. troops from Afghanistan, a non-profit group is working to rescue dozens of military dogs abandoned at the Kabul airport.
Veteran Sheepdogs of America has been tasked with the responsibility of retrieving 51 military dogs. Indeed, a photo began circulating over the weekend of several dog carriers in front of a helicopter, however those crates represent just a small portion of the total number of furry friends left behind.
“UPDATE: Kabul Airfield. Working on getting working dogs out. Whatever mess you think Kabul is...it’s worse!” the group said in a tweet.
Joshua Hosler, the group’s president, told TMZ he needs $1.67 million to cover the costs of boarding the dogs on a 737 commercial airliner out of Afghanistan, and he’s close to reaching that goal.
“Joshua tells us they’ve reached the $1.4 million mark, with two large donors to still come through,” TMZ posted in an update Monday, per BizPacReview.
“51 contracted military working dogs are safe & being cared for,” the group posted. “We had all funds for the plane, but an animal rescue org fell through. So we are scrambling to cover their amount of $500,000 of the $1.67 million.”
The group’s plan is to get the dogs to Germany where they will be quarantined for a month before boarding planes back to the U.S. After their return home, they’ll be “donated to police departments in need.”
American Humane, a group dedicated to providing safety and care to animals, said Monday it will assist in transporting K-9 “soldiers” to the U.S.
“I am devastated by reports that the American government is pulling out of Kabul and leaving behind brave U.S. military contract working dogs to be tortured and killed at the hand of our enemies,” Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO, said in a statement. “These brave dogs do the same dangerous, lifesaving work as our military working dogs, and deserve a far better fate than the one to which they have been condemned.”
