A former Marine from New York is hitting bureaucratic red tape in her quest to adopt the military service dog she served with in Iraq before it is put down, My Fox New York reports.
Marine Seeks to Adopt Military Dog: MyFoxNY.com
Former Corporal Megan Leavey, 28, wants to take in a German shepherd named Sergeant Rex, who she calls her partner. The pair hunted for IEDs in Iraq during two tours of duty, amounting to over 100 missions, and were both severely injured when an IED exploded near them.Â
"He's done his duty. It's time for him to relax," Leavey says.
Since being discharged from the military in December 2007, Leavey has campaigned to adopt the bomb-sniffing canine so he can enjoy a civilian life with her, the Daily mail reports.
"This is not (the Marines) first priority. A lot of times it gets lost in the shuffle," Leavey told My Fox New York.Â
But time is running out for the faithful dog.Â
Sergeant Rex, the oldest active service dog at Camp Pendleton, was recently diagnosed with facial palsy and can no longer serve, the Daily Mail reports.
Sen. Charles Schumer has stepped in and has asked the military to expedite Leavey's application to adopt Sergeant Rex before he is put to sleep.
"The Marines don't have a reason against reuniting them, it's just a slow bureaucracy," Shumer says.
"It's life or death," Leavey says for her former partner.
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