Amendment would create easier path to dog adoption
May 17, 2015
A local congressman who helped reunite an injured Army veteran with his military working dog in Fayetteville last year has introduced a way to smooth over the process for future adoptions.
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina and Rep. Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey are pushing to add an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to give injured service members priority to adopt their military working dogs. The amendment passed through the House Armed Services Committee in April and was sent to the NDAA for a vote.
Current law does not require the Department of Defense to give the handler priority to adopt the dog upon its retirement. The proposed amendment to the NDAA would require the Department of Defense to contact service members for the first opportunity for adoption.
"The simple fact is we shouldn't make our war heroes jump through hoops to adopt their combat companions," said Hudson, who represents the 8th District.
In 2013, Spec. Brent Grommet, a soldier with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and his German Shepherd Matty were on a patrol in Afghanistan when they were injured by an improvised explosive device.
Grommet was sent to Fort Campbell to be treated for brain and spinal cord injuries, while Matty was sent to Fort Bragg Vet Services for a torn ACL, according to published reports.
Grommet was in the process of filing papers to adopt Matty when the dog was adopted by another family.
Hudson learned of Grommet's predicament and said he used his contacts within the Special Forces communities and dog handler contractors to track down the family, who had had Matty for about a year. Hudson persuaded the family to return the dog to Grommet.
The two were reunited in Fayetteville in November 2014.
"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," Hudson said.