A Soldier's Devotion to Find her Dogs a Home!

What Happens to the Dogs at Home on U.S. Soil, When Their Soldiers Get Called to War?

The American Dog reports
Photo by Heather Green

Sergeant Kate Ferencik was just sixteen years old when an Army recruiter came to talk to her high school class about joining the military. Kate fell in love with the idea of being a soldier, serving her country-and getting to drive the big trucks! After graduating high school early at 16, Kate enlisted in the Army as soon as she turned 17 and has never looked back. That was in May of 2001, and she is currently a Sergeant and Squad Leader of nine soldiers. Prior to taking on this responsibility, she was living her dream of driving the big rigs and was assigned to the HET (Heavy Equipment Transport) unit. "These HET's are designed to haul the M1 tank and this truck/trailer has 40 tires," she says. "The HET is called the Cadillac of the military vehicles because it is very large on the inside and the soldiers could stretch out. I loved driving it!"

Kate's first deployment to Iraq was in February 2003; she was just 19 years old. She recalls that "Iraq was hot, 150 degrees hot, and the worst part was when our unit arrived there we had to live in tents on pallets with no air conditioning. There was no air conditioning in the trucks either, so we would just drive and sweat with the windows down. There would be huge sandstorms, and sand would go everywhere - in your teeth, your ears, down the back of your neck, everywhere. We drove over two million miles as a unit and by the end of our tour in April 2004, I had seen every part of that country at least twice.” The good part was that Kate met SFC (Sergeant First Class) Steve Ferencik, while on duty in Iraq; he is her husband now.

Recalling conditions in Iraq, Kate explains, "Southern Iraq is pretty ugly. It's just plain desert, but it was an unreal dose of reality to me to see how these people lived in mud huts with no electricity or running water. Although, I must say that the nights were incredibly beautiful; I could see every star in the sky. It was amazing to me that I was in a country so rich in history. I went on a tour of one of Saddam's Palaces in Baghdad. I can't think of a word to describe how rich and just beautiful it was. Standing on top of the palace, looking out at Baghdad, I felt sick about all of the money that was put into one of the many palaces of Saddam, when the countrymen and -women were so incredibly poor. We would drive and there would be nothing for miles, and people would be lining the road, waving at the convoys. We would stop to change tires or take a break, and we had Iraqis hugging and kissing us, shaking our hands. They would say, 'Saddam is Ali Baba' (a thief), and I can't help but agree with them.”

Kate tells us, "This experience was life-changing for me. We were there to help these people and they loved us for it. Here I was, complaining about the heat, or that my CD player was skipping because of all the sand, but I really had nothing to complain about compared to them. I had food and shelter. I had a beautiful house at home that was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I had a TV, a couch, and a bed of my own. This had inspired me even more, and I realized that I could never leave the Army, because this is what I was born to do. I am a member of an elite force, the United States Military, and I serve so that my family doesn't ever have to know this type of poverty, fear, and disgusting conditions that the Iraqis know and live in.”

Both Kate and her husband Steve were informed in September 2009 that they were both being deployed overseas to a war zone and would be gone approximately 12 months, plus an additional three months for training. Since this military couple has two canine kids—Nicki, a Belgian Maliois, and Lidas, a Catahoula - their first and foremost thought was making arrangements for the safety of their dogs and finding them a temporary home until their return to the United States.

"I put out a call to all of my friends and family asking if they knew anyone who could or would watch my dogs for me, and I also sent out a blast on Facebook, a few times," Kate says. "About a month later, I found a friend who offered to take care of Lidas, but I couldn't find anyone who could handle a high-performance dog like Nicki. After a long while, Staci of Homeward Bound K9s and I got in touch and I told her of the trouble I was having with finding a home for Nicki. Staci has had a lot of experience with dogs like Nicki, so she volunteered to take her for the 15 months of our deployment."

It can be tough bordering on impossible to trust a stranger with your beloved dogs, but Kate lucked out. "I trust Staci immensely and I know that she keeps her dogs in the best condition," she explains. "She cares for all of the dogs in her kennel as if they were her own, and I believe that Nicki will be very well situated there. I had taken both of my dogs and ensured that they were completely healthy and up to date with vaccines, and let their vets know what was happening to them, so that in the event of an emergency they would be well taken care of. Finding a home for them was so difficult because I want them both back when I return. I could have probably given them both away very easily, but it's not right for me to have to lose my dogs because I'm serving my country. These dogs are my family, and I can't just give up my family so easily."

When we asked Kate if the military offered any assistance with family pets for soldiers who are shipped overseas, she replied, "To the best of my knowledge, there are no Army programs that assist you with finding your pets a temporary or permanent home. This is an issue that is not really talked about or brought up as part of the pre-deployment briefing/training, and it is extremely unfortunate. I think that most single soldiers who have pets tend to just bring their dogs to the shelter because they have trouble dealing with, or don't necessarily have the time to deal with, getting their animals taken care of."

Thankfully, the shelter was never an option for Nicki and Lidas. "It took me three months to find a home for both of my dogs," Kate says. "I had a conversation with my Platoon Sergeant and told him about this interview, and he mentioned that he has had his cat for eight years but didn't know what he was going to do with him. All his family are over a thousand miles away in Texas and he is a single soldier, so he had decided to just bring the cat to the shelter. I told him that I would try to find his cat a foster home, but this would never have even come out had we not had this conversation about what soldiers can do with their pets when they get deployed.”

For military families that need help with taking care of the family pet here are some organizations that help:
www.4militaryfamilies.com
www.petsinneed.org
www.netpets.org
www.operationnoblefoster.org
www.guardianangelsforsoldierspets.org

Editor's notes:

• Sgt Kate Ferencik has always shopped at Pet Empawrium in Arvada, Colorado or her dogs' food and treats. So when Kate mentioned to shop owner Lori Moreland that she had to find a foster home for her dogs since both she and her husband were getting deployed overseas, Lori immediately offered to donate all the food to the foster family in Colorado that would keep her dog safe in a home and out of the shelter. Now that Lidas has found a home in Colorado for the fifteen months mom and dad will be gone, Kate doesn't have to worry knowing that Lidas will still get to chow on her favorite high-quality, nutritious food as always, and Lori Moreland is proud to be able to contribute towards a member of our United States military, even if it is the family dog. Please visit www.petempawrium.com for more information.

• The American Dog also wanted to mention that Sage Valley Pet Center in Golden, Colorado has been offering amazing, deeply-discounted, boarding packages to the members of the military who are deployed overseas so they don't have to take their family pet to an animal shelter. Sage Valley has kept many family pets for six months to a year when the soldier had lost hope of finding a home for their beloved dog—with no family or friends available to help. And Sage Valley treats these military pooches like royalty, spoiling them with three walks a day and tasty snacks. Tom Allen, co-owner of Sage Valley tells us that, "I am thrilled to be able to help our military save their pets, it's the least I can do while they go risk their lives for us.”  Contact Sage Valley Pet Center at (303) 279-6969 or visit them on the Web at www.sagevalley.com.

• BabyFaces.com Inc. is proud to announce Project Never Forget, where families can receive a free silver three-dimensional charm of their lost service member. The company makes charms for the families of our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines” said Joel Ragan, founder of Project Never Forget. All the next of kin needs to do is go to www.projectneverforget.com and request their charm. Once the verification process is complete, the charm will be created. There is a limit of one free charm per soldier. Call 1-877-256-8331 for more information.