First Military Pit Bull Comes Home ... To A Cage And Muzzle

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First Military Pit Bull Comes Home ... To A Cage And MuzzleBy Caitlin Jill AndersPublished on Oct 16, 2015 at 12:57 PM

Howard, a rescue dog, was the first-ever pit bull to act as a U.S. military dog. He served our country until it was finally time for him to return home. As a war hero, Howard should be able to live out the rest of his life in blissful peace.

Howard was rescued from the Howard County Pound in Indiana and brought into the military, where he met Alexander Reimer. Reimer was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 with Howard by his side, and became his very first handler. During their time together they were inseparable, and Reimer credits Howard with his life.

Reimer left the service in 2013, and Howard was given to another handler to continue his service. Reimer tried his best to keep tabs on Howard's whereabouts, but eventually lost track of him. He only hoped that wherever he ended up, Howard would be able to enjoy his retirement the way he deserved to.

"Howard and I have been through so much together and I owe that dog my life," Reimer wrote on Howard's Change.org page. "I wear his patch on my hat and backpack as much as I can in honor of my brother."

Reimer was finally able to find the people who had Howard, and contacted them with a request to visit. The new owners didn't respond - and upon further investigation Reimer figured out why.

Reimer sent a friend to visit Howard, and the friend reported that the dog is being kept tied up in a yard with nothing to do, when he's not locked in a cage with a muzzle on, with no food, water or toys, Reimer wrote on the Change.org page. Howard suffers from kennel rash, and is clearly neglected, says Reimer.

Sheriff's deputy Deon Fuller, whose family now has Howard, says that Reimer's claims about Howard's mistreatment are untrue, and animal control officers investigated the home and agreed.

"As of right now, I'm saying Howard is my dog and he is home with myself and my family," Fuller told WRAL.com.

He added that "a lot of damage has been done" by the Facebook page Reimer set up. The family claims that Howard is their therapy dog.

A Facebook page called Bring Howard Home has been created to bring attention to Howard's plight, and a petition has also been started that now has over 6,500 signatures.

Reimer is now a veteran, dealing with PTSD and other side effects of war. Having Howard back in his life would mean the world to him.

"Howard should be taken out of this family's home and put with his rightful owner, who will love, cherish, and treat him how any veteran should be treated, or any dog for that fact," Reimer wrote.

If you would like to help Howard, you can sign his Change.org position, donate to his gofundme page or visit his Facebook page.

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