A former Afghanistan military dog is set to be reunited with his handler in the United States, CBS News reports.
Chase worked as a bomb-sniffing dog and accompanied Kristen St. Pierre, a female platoon commander for the Georgia Army National Guard, and her 38-soldier platoon on “guardian angel” missions around Kabul and beyond.
The brave canine specialized in explosives and narcotics, and would lead the route, carrying out security sweeps before meetings. And naturally, he built up a close bond with St. Pierre. She fed and walked him, and he even slept in her room.
Keeping in Touch
“It brought so much relief and a piece of humanity to have a dog on base,” said St. Pierre, whose tour ended while Chase continued to work in Afghanistan. However, his new handler would send her frequent updates and photos too.
And when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 and U.S. troops withdrew, St. Pierre did her best to find out whether Chase was able to leave the country.
“I heard Chase and other dogs would be on flights to the U.S. and Europe,” she explained. “The next I heard the dogs weren’t allowed on the planes and they were released from the airport with little chance of survival.”
Helping A Former Military Dog
St. Pierre had no idea of Chase’s whereabouts for a long time, but organizations like Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR) continued to work tirelessly. The founder, Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, moved to Kabul in 2015 and began rescuing dogs and cats, founding the rescue in 2018.
She’s been sending animals back to the U.S. along with Pawsome Pets, based in Dubai, and in January they were able to send back 11 dogs. The hope is that they can send back as part of a group of five dogs soon.
Maxwell-Jones found the former military dog in November 2022 at a kennels, in “sorry shape”, and one day St. Pierre saw a picture of Chase on the rescue’s social media accounts.
Once she contacted KSAR, they were able to raise money to bring Chase home, and while he’s not there yet, Maxwell-Jones is working tirelessly to formalize arrangements.
