Patron the Sniffer Dog
Dear Frankie,
I read your column last week and saw how upset you and your readers were about the dogs in Ukraine. I thought you would be interested in knowing about Patron, a brave little Jack Russell who serves in the Ukrainian Military.
Before I tell you about him, I don’t want to imply that his story makes up for the tragedy of the hundreds of dogs abandoned when the war broke out. Patron is a sniffer dog; his job is to find mines and unexploded weapons that the Russian Soldiers left behind. When he smells gun powder, he lets Misha, the soldier he works with, know where the mine is so he can defuse it to prevent it from blowing up.
Don’t think for a minute that the work Patron and Misha do is a slam dunk. Many of these mines are trigger sensitive and can explode in a second. Despite the danger, Patron and Misha have willingly accepted the challenge. Together they have saved the lives of thousands.
I can’t tell you how proud I was to be a dog when I read what one of our kind was doing to ensure the safety of so many animals and humans.
Perry
Dear Perry,
I read your letter to my friends at the dog park. There wasn’t a dry eye among us. Several dogs were so moved that they said they wanted to be trained to be a sniffer dog so that they could also serve in the army.
I didn’t want to dampen their enthusiasm, but I couldn’t help wishing that the war would be long over before their training was completed.
Patron’s story was an inspiration to all of us. Marika, who is about to have a litter, said Patron’s story so touched her that she planned on naming her firstborn male Patron and the second one Misha. Thanks for your letter. It certainly did uplift and brighten everyone’s spirit.
Best, Frankie
© 2022 Geneva Woodruff
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