When Lance Corporal Kyle Loconte of the US Marines was stationed in the country of Georgia, he didn’t expect to make a friend for life. But that’s exactly what happened when he met Ashley, a stray dog who hung around the base.
“We were at the motorpool working on trucks, and here Ashley comes just trotting along,” said Loconte (via Penn Live). “A big ole floof of a dog, immediately fell in love, played with her, and immediately made sure to keep tabs on her.”
Loconte and Ashley became fast friends and soon went Instagram official. “I would post a picture of Ashley every week and everybody loved it,” Loconte explained.
But in 2019, his deployment came to an end. He returned to his home in York, Pennsylvania without Ashley after trying repeatedly to find a way to bring her with him. “It was sad,” he explained.
SPCA International To The Rescue
Loconte thought his time with Ashley was over. But two years later, SPCA International contacted him at his new base in Virginia to reunite the pair.
“My friend gives me a call and he’s like ‘Hey man, the Air Force representative with SPCA International were wondering since our deployment is ending in Georgia, are you still interested in Ashley?’” Loconte explained.
“I replied ‘Yes, Yes, Yes’ and immediately emailed them and got the ball rolling.”
However, reuniting soldiers with their dog friends can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average cost was $4,500. Now? The price is more than double.
“We tried to book with so many different airlines, and finally we succeeded, and about the night before they were set to depart the US, the airline canceled the flight,” SPCA International’s Lori Kalef. “Our team works day and night and we stop at nothing. We never take no for an answer.”
With over 1,075 of these kind of reunions under their belt since 2008, SPCA International stayed true to their word. The organization found a way to ship Ashley safely to the United States.
While Loconte is still stationed in Virginia, Ashley is currently in Pennsylvania with his mother. “She’s with my mother in PA right now so I haven’t got to hug her,” he said.
A Soldier’s Best Friend
(Picture Credit: Peppersmint/Getty Images)Loconte states that deployment overseas is always stressful, but dogs help make it all better.
“I can’t tell you how many times on base where I had a bad day, I would go grab a comic book or something, find one of the dogs, and lay down next to them to just read or just draw… they were a stress reliever,” he explained.
SPCA International continues to support members of the military and the dogs they love. Their Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program helps reunite members of the armed forces with dogs they’ve befriended overseas. Read about their program here.
The organization also helps military families keep their pets when they need to relocate through their Operation Military Pets program. You can read more about this program here.
Have you or a loved one befriended a dog during a military deployment? Were you able to bring them home? Let us know in the comments!
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