By: Meghann Myers
A Naval Special Warfare unit preparing to return from its latest deployment is hoping to bring back two honorary members, and they’re looking for donations to make that happen.
Special Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Sam Landoe and his team adopted two puppies, Logar and Falcor, during their time in Afghanistan. Now he’s working with a rescue organization to raise $6,000 to pay for their transport to the States.
Landoe teamed up with Guardians of Rescue to bring the pups home through their Mission No Buddy Left Behind program, which was featured on Anderson Cooper 360 last year.
“I can’t imagine what will become of these dogs that we love so much if we can’t bring them home,” Landoe said in a news release.
The plan is to send the dogs first to Washington to live with Landoe’s parents, then bring them to San Diego when he returns home.
“If just 600 people donated $10 each, we could make this a successful mission,” Guardians of Rescue Vice President Dori Scofield said in the release.
The team adopted Logar from a village elder, whom they were meeting with as part of their outreach efforts. Landoe noticed the puppy was dirty and malnourished, so he offered the elder some scrap wood in exchange for the dog.
Falcor came soon after, brought to the team by some Afghan locals in much the same condition as Logar before him. The unit taught them commands and made them a part of the family.
“We are just hoping that we can get the support we need to bring them home with us,” Landoe said. “They have been an important part of our tour here, and we want to keep them a part of our lives.”
The $6,000 cost of bringing the dogs home goes directly to Nowzad Dogs, a shelter in Afghanistan that facilitates stateside adoptions. The price covers transportation (over land and through cargo flight to the U.S.) and veterinary treatment, including rabies testing and vaccination, vaccinations for common canine viruses, flea and tick treatment, deworming and spay/neuter surgery.
For more information on donating to Logar and Falcor, visit guardiansofrescue.org.