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MILITARY VETERANS SAY ABOUT 10% OF COMBAT DOGS DEPLOYED TO IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN COME
THIS PROBLEM. TONY, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
YOU WROTE A STORY ABOUT A DOG NAMED CORA, A COMBAT DOG WHO APPARENTLY SUFFERS FROM A
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. WHERE WAS SHE DEPLOYED AND WHAT DID THIS DOG
DO? >> >>TONY PERRY: CORA DEPLOYED TO IRAQ AND
HER JOB WAS TO SNIFFLE OUT THE BURIED BOMBS THAT ARE THE ENEMY'S WEAPON OF CHOICE SHE
WAS VERY, VERY GOOD FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME THEY COULD TRUST HER OFF THE LEASH, SHE WOULD
RUN OUT THERE, FIND THEM, SIGNAL HERE'S ONE, SHE SAVED AMERICAN LIVES.
>> >>PEGGY: WE'RE SEEING A PICTURE OF HER I BELIEVE WITH HER HANDLER.
THEY CALLED HER A PUSH BUTTON DOG. >> >>TONY PERRY: ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS SAY CORA,
GO, AND SHE DID EVERYTHING REQUIRED OF HER. AND SHE LOVED IT.
IT WAS ALL A GAME TO HER AND SHE TRAINED UP WELL, AND HER HANDLERS FELT CLOSE TO HER,
AND SHE PERFORMED VERY, VERY WELL UNTIL SHE DIDN'T.
>> >>PEGGY: AND HOW DID SHE CHANGE? HOW DID THEY KNOW SOMETHING WAS GOING ON?
>> >>TONY PERRY: SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE HER HANDLER, WOULDN'T RUN LOOSE LIKE SHE HAD, SHE WAS QUARRELSOME,
SNARLED AT OTHER DOGS. JUST WOULDN'T DO WHAT THEY WANTED HER TO DO.
ABOUT THAT TIME THEY REDEPLOYED HOME. SHE BECAME YET ANOTHER DOG WHO HAS REALLY
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. ABOUT A YEAR AGO THE VETERINARIANS THAT RUN
THE MILITARY DOG PROGRAM OUT OF LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE TEXAS DECIDED DOGS TOO SUFFER FROM
PTSD AND NEED TREATMENT THEY DID DECIDE THAT BUT THERE WAS RELUCTANCE IN CALLING IT.
>> >>TONY PERRY: ONE USUALLY DECISIONS LIKE THAT ARE VETTED THROUGH THE SYSTEM, THE PUBLICATIONS
AND PROFESSIONAL REVIEW. BUT ALSO THEY DIDN'T WANT TO SEEM DISRESPECTFUL
TO THE SOLDIERS, MARINES, SAILORS, AIR BORN WHO HAVE PTSD TO SOME HOW SAY AND A DOG HAS
WHAT YOU HAVE. THEY FINALLY DECIDED THEY NEEDED TO CALL IT
SOMETHING, NEEDED TO SIGNAL THAT SOME OF THESE DOGS THAT COME HOME NEED HELP AND CANNOT REDEPLOY
BECAUSE THEY COULD BE DANGEROUS. THEY COULD NOT DO THEIR JOB WHEN IT IS REQUIRED
OF THEM AND AMERICANS COULD GET INJURED VERY SEVERELY.
>> >>PEGGY: YOUR ARTICLE TALKED ABOUT I THINK 2500 DOGS COMBAT DOGS OR 2500 DOGS TRAINED
AT THE AIR FORCE BASE. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THEM DO YOU REMEMBER DOO
THEY THINK COME BACK WITH THIS CANINE PTSD. >> >>TONY PERRY: HUNDREDS OF DOGS HAVE DEPLOYED,
THEY ARE EVERYWHERE IN AFGHANISTAN, AND THEY WERE EVERYWHERE IN IRAQ ALSO.
THEY ARE ESTIMATING, AND IT'S AN ESTIMATE, THAT MAYBE 10ĘPERCENT, THAT WOULD BE HUNDREDS
OF DOGS, CAME BACK WITH PTSD. SOME OF THEM WHO SO SEVERELY TRAUMATIZED THEY
CAN NEVER WORK AGAIN FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OR BORDER PATROL OR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY JUST HAVE TO BE U ADOPTED OUT AND LEFT TO REST IN SOMEBODY'S BACK YARD.
SOME CAN BE RECONDITIONED AS THEY WERE TRAINED UP, GIVEN XANEX, AND PUT BACK EITHER IN THE
FIELD REDEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN NOW OR WORK FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THANK GOODNESS FOR CORA'S SAKE, HAS A MILD CASE.
THEY RETRAINED HER. SHE WILL NEVER DEPLOY AGAIN.
SHE WILL NEVER GO TO AFGHANISTAN, BUT SHE'S TRAINING THE TRAINERS.
>> >>PEGGY: I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. SHE'S NOT NECESSARILY ALL BETTER.
SHE'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE MOODY AND DIFFICULT. THIS IS GREAT FOR THE TRAINERS.
>> >>TONY PERRY: SHE'S LIKE THAT GRUMPY FIRST SERGEANT YOU HAVE IN BASIC TRAINING M SHE'S
DIFFICULT. THESE YOUNG AIRMEN SOLDIERS, MARINES, SAILORS
THAT WANT TO BECOME DOG HANDLERS THEY GIVE THEM CORA, AND SHE IF YOU CAN HAND AL DOG
WHO'S BULKY AND MAY DO WHAT YOU WANT OR NOT. BECAUSE IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE A BULKY DOG HERE,
WE DON'T WANT YOU TO FORWARD DEPLOY AND NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE A DOG.
SO IN HER GRUMPINESS, CORA IS STILL HELPING SAVE AMERICAN LIVES MORE INDIRECTLY THIS TIME
BUT STILL HELPING. >> >>PEGGY: THE DOGS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT
THEY COME BACK FROM COMBAT AND ARE RETRAINED TO GO INTO BORDER.
THEY'RE BEING TREATED WITH TRAINING, WITH XANEX, THINGS LIKE THAT, PUT IT IN CONTEXT
FOR US. DOGS IN THE MILITARY IS A VERY PASSIONATE
SUBJECT, SHALL WE SAY. TELL US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN VIETNAM T ABSOLUTELY.
DOGS WERE USED IN VIETNAM FOR MANY F THE SAME PURPOSES, LOOKING FOR BURIED EXPLOSIVES, GOING
INTO TUNNEL SAID, CONTROLLED AGGRESSION GUARD DOGS, VERY IMPORTANT.
THEY DIDN'T COME HOME, MOST OF THEM, FOR VARIOUS REASONS,.
>> >>PEGGY: THEY WERE LEFT BEHIND; CORRECT? >> >>TONY PERRY: THEY WERE LEFT BEHIND SOME
OF THEM HAD AN ILLNESS THE MILITARY DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH LEFT BEHIND A LOT OF RESIDUE
OF AJAR OF DOG HANDLERS THESE MANY DECADES LATER THAT THEIR DOGS WERE LEFT BEHIND.
MILITARY NOW HAS MADE IT VERY, VERY CLEAR THESE DOGS THAT WE HAVE NOW, THEY'RE NOT EQUIPMENT.
THEY'RE COMING HOME. WHEN THEY COME HOME F THEY NEED TREATMENT,
THEY GET TREATMENT. >> >>PEGGY: GETTING TREATMENT FOR THIS CANINE
PTSD, THANKS FOR BRINGING US THIS STORY. YOU CAN READ TONY'S STORY ON CANINE PTSD ON
KPBS.ORG. THANKS A LOT.
>> >>TONY PERRY: MY PLEASURE.