Paws of War made a very joyful Stateside reunion possible, thanks to compassionate support for its life-saving rescue missions. Once desperate for help and someone to care, sweet girl Pancake suffered horribly overseas, but now, she is safe and after many months apart, she has made it back into the arms of her brave Dad, U.S. Army Sergeant Brian. But it’s a happy ending that almost didn’t happen.
Sergeant Brian found Pancake crying at the gate into his base overseas, and immediately knew that she needed help–she was covered in fleas, her coat was filthy, severely dehydrated and hungry, but too scared to approach. Encouraging her with treats, Sergeant Brian slowly earned her trust, and took on the role of caring for her. He didn’t expect that he’d fall in love, but very soon she became a virtual part of his family though from a distance, sharing the sweet dog with his wife and young kids back home which helped him stay connected with them far away.
But Sgt. Brian was forced into saying a heartbreaking goodbye when his deployment ended, and, unable to get Pancake to safety himself, had to leave her behind – breaking his heart and not knowing if he’d ever see her again. So he reached out to Paws of War with a desperate plea for help – counting on them to get her out of harm’s way. They came through! And now, Pancake is officially a member of Sergeant Brian’s family, and she’s joined a happy home with his wife, their two adorable children, and her new dog sibling.



Meet Rhett, a playful and affectionate 2-year-old Golden doodle looking for his forever family!
As a violent storm battered an American base in a desolate part of Africa, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Hope heard a desperate cry outside her door and when she looked out to investigate, a terrified kitten – Gizmo – rushed in and went into hiding. That was the moment she knew she had to act to save the vulnerable cat and reached out to Paws of War for help. Gizmo was abandoned near the base and with nothing around to survive on, her condition rapidly deteriorated. Staff Sergeant Hope and some other soldiers had been doing what they could – making a tiny lean-to for shelter, and sharing their food, but in a very remote area there wasn’t much available to them to help a struggling cat. Gizmo cowered in the makeshift shelter – afraid of the many predators lurking, and would only come out when she heard SSG Hope who she chose as her person. The sweet cat was so thankful to have someone be kind to her that she would bring gifts of bugs, leaves, and pieces of trash – all she could find to say “I love you” to brighten her hero’s day. In turn SSG Hope found comfort in having the little cat around but while she makes her smile, she can’t take her mind off the worry of knowing Gizmo can’t make it on her own when she returns Stateside and the fear in the young cat during the storm served as a reminder.
MOST ANIMAL SHELTERS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE PART OF A BROKEN SYSTEM, ONE THAT HURTS INNOCENT, HOMELESS ANIMALS MOST OF ALL. BUT IT ALSO HARMS HEROIC STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS.
Three days ago, we celebrated these loving, loyal, kind, and compassionate dogs. There is so much misinformation about them out there, and they are so unfairly and cruelly maligned. They and their humans have their lives upended by unfairly discriminative breed-specific legislation and refusal of insurance companies to write policies for the humans, even when their breed isn’t actually known.
Bellissimo Carmine! Smart and sensitive, with a playful side, best describes Carmine. He loves car rides and going on adventures, and he walks nicely on leash. Carmine’s discerning taste in people is evidenced by the top-notch Sammy’s Hope volunteers he spends time with, and he has quite the fan club! He’s a volunteer favorite, but nothing would make his fans happier than to see him find his loving, forever home! He’s such a wonderful boy!

But until now, even I didn’t know how corrupt the USDA is, not just in ignoring its job to regulate and oversee breeders, but even corruptly covering up horrific crimes of animal cruelty: “Yet, days after the DOJ negotiated surrender of the [4000] beagles [from a