Deployed soldiers get help with pet care

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Some Idaho animal lovers are arranging to take care of pets belonging to National Guard members on active duty.

Sonya Nowland, family assistance coordinator at the Twin Falls Army National Guard, worked to compile a list of foster families that would take care of soldiers’ animals.

Nowland and the staff of the Twin Falls Humane Society received inquiries following a newspaper article that focused on the plight of military pets.

Soldiers with the 116th Cavalry Brigade leave this week for Fort Bliss, Texas, on the first leg of an 18-month deployment that will eventually take them on a year tour of duty in Iraq.

Steve Albin, founder and president of the nonprofit netpets.org, helps match military pet owners with foster families nationwide.

He said he decided to create the South Carolina-based organization shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, when he learned of soldiers who had no other option but to put their pets in animal shelters, where they ran the risk of being euthanized.

“Before 9-11, if you didn’t have friends and family to take care of your pets, you were stuck,” Albin said. “Now, our brave servicemen and women can get their pets back when they get home.”