Wylie's Fight for Freedom: A War Dog's Journey
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Wylie has been to hell and back.
The stray was rescued in war-torn Afghanistan recently after a harrowing ordeal. Locals captured him and forced him to fight another dog: he was nearly killed in the bloody match that saw him fighting for his life. His muzzle was slashed open, he had his tail, penis and ears cut off, and he was then thrown under a moving car. By all rights, the battered dog should have died.
Wylie’s luck took a major turn when he was found by the British soldiers who managed to rescue him. They brought him to the Kandahar airfield to be examined by Australian Federal Police agent, Narelle Jensz. Jensz had arrived from Gundaroo and was in Afghanistan to use her veterinary science skills to treat injured dogs.
Jensz and a team of US army medical staff treated Wylie and managed to nurse him back to health over a long period of time. And then she fell in love.
“Wylie has the ability to win you over without even trying,” she said. “For a dog who has endured so much at the hands of humans, there is no malice or aggression, just forgiveness. He is a survivor”.
Jensz said Wylie was an inspiration to soldiers serving in a hostile war zone. “He had become the symbol of hope and strength to so many. Wylie is a pivotal part of my life and my experience in Afghanistan because of what he represents and the efforts of those around him. Its a bond stronger and more profound than most”.
Wylie is now in Britain completing a six month quarantine while British dog rescue charity group Nowzad Dogs attempts to raise funds to get him to Australia. See nowzaddonations.chipin.com/wylie to learn how you can help.
Jensz says she can’t wait to welcome Wylie home. “I’m looking forward to giving him the biggest hug in the world and reminding him people are not about to give up on him,” she said. “The next step is to introduce him to grass and the rolling waves of the ocean”.
I know this organization, they have a facebook presence and work with SAC Fund, Soldier Animal Companion, cool article.
Beautiful dog. I can see why she fell in love with him just from looking at his face. The people who did that to him on the other hand, are scum!!!
I am so glad that Wylie will get a good life. I hope the scumbags who hurt him and any other innocent animal go straight to hell. They have nothing to contribute to the human race.
I was able to get to the link without a problem. Type exactly what I have below in the address bar of your browser or just copy and paste.
nowzaddonations.chipin.com/wylie
My heart breaks for this little guy, How can people be so cruel??? I hope someone is taking good care of him and spoiles him rotten!!!!
They cut off his penis??!! I wish I could catch them and cut off theirs. No 72 virgins for them! I’m glad the guys took him in and the vet was able to rehab him.
This precious angel of God deserves nothing but the very best of care and of love. How anyone can abuse an animal, and be able to continue to live is an outrage. They should be hung upside down, pricked with a pitch fork, and bleed a slow agonizing death for the torture that they put this precious dog through. Thank goodness for the kind folks that took care of him and I know that his new owner will give him the love and devotion he so truly deserves!!!
Many of the Muslim crowd (not all but many) feel a dog is unclean.
Actually, not many but some – especially if they were of the twisted version of Islam that the Taliban uses.
That dog looks like an Ovcharka which would be treated well as a working dog (flock guarders). They are from that region and it’s customary to crop ears down to the skull and dock tails. The rest of what happened sounds similar to the crap I’ve seen working here in the US in animal control. Yes, we’ve even had a dog come in that had it’s penis cut off.
Wylie has certainly been further into Hell than many abused dogs. Good God, what is the matter with people? These people who did this are sub-human. And I hate to even use the word human for them. SCUM. I don’t care if they “feel a dog is unclean”~~they’re a bunch of scummy rag heads. Now that I’ve had my rant against them, I can go on to thank all of the wonderful people who saved him, gave him the medical attention and love that he needed. He could have just as easily become an aggressive dog who hated humans and instead, he’s weathered the worst of the worst and is so beautiful and you can just tell he is full of love and gratitude. He will have so much fun on the beaches of Australia running and playing that hopefully, this will all be forgotten somewhere in the back of his mind. Bless you all and Wylie the Strong for sharing his story.
Of course religious ignorance and derogatory names had to start cropping up in the comments section. I always thought Life With Dogs had a more educated fan base (and hopefully those comments will be deleted).
It’s sheer ignorance to think this is because of Islam. To only look at one passage saying dogs are unclean is kind of like Christians who would use these bible references to justify the lower status of women:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_bibl.htm
This dog looks very much like an Ovcharka – and cropped ears to the skull and a docked tail are customary w/ this working breed and they are common to this region. Of course the other stuff was cruel and not unlike something I would see here (the states) where I work in animal control (in neighborhoods that are predominantly Christian, I might add – does that mean Christians condone this?). The kind of cruelty this dog endured is not region or religion specific folks! It happens right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A.!
While Muhammad did say the company of dogs, except as helpers in hunting, herding, and home protection, voided a portion of a Muslim’s good deeds, he also advocated kindness to dogs and other animals. See the narration by Abu Huraira Volume 3, Book 40, Number 551. The Prophet said, “While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well, and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, ‘This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine.’ So, he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed and forgave him. The people asked “O Allah’s Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals? He replied: “Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (living being). You can also look up the 18th verse of the 18th chapter of the Qur’an regarding the story of the Seven Sleepers that included a dog.
The point is (and yes, I do have one) stop stereo typing people who are trapped in a land where there is a very twisted group of people calling themselves “muslims” when the Taliban and Jihadists are very far from Muslims around the world. It’s kind of like saying all Christians are twisted based on people like David Koresh or Warren Jeffs.
I hope the dog finds happiness and MUCH SOCIALIZATION when it gets to the new home. I very much hope the family reads up on the breed of Ovcharka so they can be the best family ever for this dog!
Well said Jeanne. Monster is a universal status, and there will always be people who wrap their evil deeds in the cloak of religion–any religion.
I’m sure that most of the people of Afghanistan don’t typically mutilate dog penises, or throw dogs under cars for sport. As for the rest, dog fighting is still common in many parts of the US, and even my poor little min-pin had his tail docked before I could prevent it. Many dog-loving acquaintances of mine advised me to crop his ears as well, all in the name of “looks.”
I think we all need to take a good long look at our own cultures before we start throwing stones.
what a brave boy. My heart goes out to all the other war dogs out their. GOD-BLESS you all. hope he find’s peace in Australia .
I have tears on my eyes after reading this story. I cannot believe how people can be so cruel towards animals , for me those people are disgusting and sick!! They should be behind the bars like criminals. Wylie’s story it’s heart breaking story , and thanks for people like you Jensz ,I still have hope that one day all this cruelty will stop. Congratulations for the amazing work that you and the other soldiers do to help these poor animals to have a better life!! I believe in God and angels and for me you are an angel… I really want to help him to come to Australia, how can I help? I am sure he will find a nice home here and a family that will love him and treat him the way he should be treated. I live in Sydney and I would love to visit him in Canberra , but if he does not find a home there, it will be my pleasure to adopt him. Thank you very much for the great job you do! Best wishes, Lenise Morais