11/11/10

Operation Baghdad Pups

Terri Crisp

Show Description:

Operation Baghdad Pups

U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan befriend local animals as a way to help cope with the emotional hardships they endure every day while deployed in a war zone.  The Operation Baghdad Pups program provides veterinary care and coordinates complicated logistics and transportation requirements in order to reunite these beloved pets with their service men and women back in the U.S. These important animals not only help our heroes in the war zone, but they also help them readjust to life back home after combat.

http://www.spcai.org

Guest Bio:
Terri Crisp has volunteered and worked in the animal welfare movement for 25 years.  The majority of this time was spent managing animals during disasters.  “My first rescue was a puppy during a flood in 1983.  He was chained to a car, dog paddling to stay alive in five feet of water.  That was when the course of my life changed.”  Since that fateful day, Terri has trained and managed volunteers to respond to the needs of animals during 71 major disasters in the United States, Canada, Japan, Poland, Romania and Sri Lanka. 

On September 11, 2007, Terri’s life took another unexpected turn.  It began with an email sent to SPCA International from a soldier serving in Iraq, desperate to get the dog he befriended during his tour of duty to the United States.  Working as the Program Development Manager for SPCA International, Terri was given the logistical challenge of finding a way to overcame incredible obstacles to make this happen.  Braving the dangers of a country at war and a culture that views dogs and cats as inner city slum dwellers view rats, Terri has repeatedly traveled to Iraq and in four months escorted 40 animals to their new life in the states with the person who couldn’t leave their buddy behind when it was time to return home.  The lifesaving efforts of the Operation Baghdad Pups program continue today.

The accumulation of experiences that Terri has had while saving animals led her to write two books, Out of Harm’s Way and Emergency Animal Rescue Stories. Both books include heartwarming and sometimes heart breaking stories from such disasters as the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Hurricane Andrew and the 1993 floods in the Mid West. 

Terri’s selfless work has been an inspiration to many who have found their own way to make this a better world for animals too.  A born crusader for the animals, Terri down plays the recognition she has received through the years.  “The only acknowledgments I need are the ones like I got from that first puppy I saved when he reached up and gave me a grateful lick on my face once he knew he was safe.”

Northern California is home for Terri along with her husband, three daughters and a menagerie of rescued animals that all live on 10 acres in the Sierras.

Contact Information
SPCA International
P.O. Box 1230
Washington, DC 20013
Website: www.spcai.org
Email: answers@spcai.org