Life After Afghanistan - My Dog Maddy!

We have now been at war in Afghanistan for over 9 years. It is officially the longest war in our history. Vietnam clearly was longer and bloodier, but it was not always called a war for whatever reason. So, what affect does war have on a country? Thousands of miles away from the bombs and the blasts, there are profound consequences here in America. When even one service member deploys, it touches so many people. Entire communities pray every day for safe and speedy returns. The families go through a range of emotions. It puts tremendous strain on our military back home. I see spouses and kids every day in our clinic who have a range of issues that are undoubtedly related to the war. There are kids acting out, spouses who cannot sleep, and extramarital affairs. It is not pretty. We have programs in place to help. But, many times really nothing can help. And, when the deployer returns things will never quite be the same. In my own life I have experienced this in a way that I did not anticipate at all. Enter my dog Maddy. Let me explain.



In August of 2009 I adopted Maddy. She was a rescue dog that I met at a charity event. She came right up to me with a friendly greeting and the rest is history. Maddy is a yellow labrador retriever who has been through a lot. Apparently she was rescued some time ago when she was quite emaciated. In fact, Maddy had delievered a litter of puppies and was found laying down with all her puppies surrounding her. Her left side was literally stuck to sizzling hot black asphault. She was peeled off the ground and taken in for treatment. This left her with a permanent spot on her left side that will never grow fur completely. All of her puppies died. She spent the next 6 months living in various households as the rescue organization attempted to find a suitable owner. Her health was in peril. Maddy had heartworms which left untreated can be fatal. It is an expensive and long treatment to eradicate the heartworms. This was left for the new owner which of course is me.



The very first night that Maddy stayed at my home it was apparent that she had major issues. She began scratching herself vigorously. It was out of control. I attempted to console her to no avail. She actually scratched so much that a nipple bled. Wow. I took Maddy to the vet a few days later. The intitial bill was $500 and she came home on 6 medications. Her skin was in horrible shape. She needed heartworm treatment ASAP. Nevertheless, we bonded quickly. It is hard not to love Maddy. She is great around people. She comes right up to you and puts her face in your lap. Then she lays down on her back begging for a belly rub. She has an almost insatiable need for affection. Eventually Maddy began the extensive heartworm eradication. She had a section of her fur shaved off and was injected with powerful medications once a month for several months. Over the course of about 6 months the worms were slowly eliminated.



In December 2009 I deployed to Afghanistan. Maddy once again had to adapt to a new caregiver. I had made arrangements for a live in pet sitter so that she could stay in the same home. I thought this would make it a lot easier for her but that was not the case. Maddy's caregiver Jessica told me little about what was going on back in Charleston. That was a blessing because I needed to be focused 100% on my work at Bagram. My sister Annie took care of Maddy a lot as well. She also kept any details about Maddy to herself. Fast forward to July 2010 . I was home and at first everything seemed okay with Maddy. Then, the attacks started. She would go into attack mode anytime another dog was spotted. There are tons of dogs in the neighborhood. It made walks with her absolutely miserable. She would be bucking like a bronco, barking up a storm, and foaming at the mouth. It was embarrassing. Then one day it really got out of hand. Maddy spotted a golden retriever, got off the leash, and made a bee line for the other dog. She attacked the other dog. I actually had to run over and tackle Maddy to get her away. This was BAD!

So, I hired a dog trainer. Over the course of the next 2 months, I learned a lot about handling dogs. Maddy is in fact trainable. We went to public areas and attempted to socialize her. It was often painful. Progress was slow. Maddy would show glimpses of good behavior, then revert back to the bucking bronco on the next walk. It was frustrating. I actually thought about not only getting rid of her, but having her put to sleep. You would understand if you saw these outbursts. After several months, Maddy graduated from dog training school. Her prize was a small stuffed goat to chew. Graduation did not in any way mean that she was all better. In fact, it is still a struggle today. Every day I have to walk her with caution. I give her positive feedback as much as possible. Spending a lot of time with her seems to help. Exercising her for about an hour a day is key. When she gets excited, then we run which seems to calm her fairly well. Maddy has a lot of room for improvement. Progress is slow, but there is hope. If I can get her to get along well with other dogs it will be one of my biggest accomplishments in life. No kidding.

I did not in any way anticipate that my deployment would affect my dog as much as much as it did. Unbelievable. Maddy is a great dog overall. She has so much to offer. I look forward to seeing her every time I come home. Yep, that's corny but true. You would understand if you met her. She is very lovable. But, this whole thing has been harder than I ever expected. I guess even our pets have a hard time with deployments!