Legislation introduced in Congress on Thursday aims to provide retired canine warriors with federal grant money to provide for their — often expensive — medical care.
The K-9 Hero Act would create a grant program designed to provide funding to nonprofits that help the owners of retired military working dogs cover medical costs. How much funding would go to each dog is yet to be determined, but Texas Rep. Ron Wright, the lawmaker who introduced the bill, hopes to put $5 million into the grant program over five years.
“During the successful special forces mission that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, we witnessed firsthand what an asset our federal working dogs can be,” Wright said. “Once these heroes retire from service, the medical treatment they need is often significant enough to create a financial hardship for the individuals who care for them.”
The dogs’ caregivers confirm the bills are significant.
“We’ve spent over $10,000 on one K9,” James Hatch, a former Navy SEAL dog handler and founder of Spike’s K9 Fund, told the Washington Examiner. “Our average expenditure is between $3,000 and $5,000 [per dog].”
Hatch recalled the case of Diesel, a military dog he had worked with and who was shot in the chest with a round from an AK-47. Diesel went into rehab and served two more deployments before he was retired and adopted by one of Hatch’s teammates.
But Diesel’s career had taken a toll on his body, and his medical bills began to pile up. Hatch’s organization helped the dog’s adoptive family cover the costs.
“At first glance, this is an incredible piece of work,” Hatch said of the legislation.
Previously, military dogs were considered surplus military equipment and often were euthanized after retirement. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed Robby’s Law, allowing the dogs to be adopted.
Should Wright’s bill be enacted, the resulting grant program would serve dogs used by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, TSA, and Border Patrol, in addition to those used by the Department of Defense.
