OGDEN — One of the toughest things to see is a sick pet.
“They’re family members. They are our children,” said Andrea Howard, who just opened her own practice Wasatch Hollow Animal Hospital at 4300 Harrison Blvd.
Among those who have stopped by to congratulate her was a man she had never met before but knew all about — especially his dog Balto, a canine American hero.
Balto, now 9 years old, spent years as a bomb-sniffing dog for the U.S. military in Afghanistan alongside owner and handler John Logie.
“They mention dogs as being heroes, and they really are,” Logie said, adding that they save "countless lives."
Logie said he began working with Balto when he went to Afghanistan in 2009. Working as a contracted handler first with the U.S. Special Forces and then the Canadian military, the pair spent almost a year together searching for explosives and clearing the way for troops until the day Logie was injured.
There’s no doubt Balto is Logie’s best friend, especially after sniffing out an explosive.
On May 9, 2010, Logie said he and Balto were sent out to clear a compound near some grape fields where explosives were often buried. Picking up some improvised explosive device residue from a nearby building, Balto pulled Logie toward the structure — and away from a powerful "primary" IED.
“It would have taken my legs completely off,” Logie said. “There’s no way I would have survived it. So if it wasn’t for him catching that odor and pulling me toward the building, I would have stepped on that primer eventually.”
Logie hit a secondary IED, which sent shrapnel through his left arm and leg, parts of his right leg and arm, and damaged his hearing. But he believes hitting the less powerful explosive spared his life.
Logie was reunited with his retired K-9 partner Balto at Salt Lake City International Airport on March 15, 2014.
“It was amazing,” Logie said. “He still remembered me, because as soon as he saw me, his tail started wagging and he came running up.”
Howard heard the story and wanted to show her gratitude for the pair’s service to their country. Balto will now receive free care at her clinic for a year.
“They were overseas. They are keeping us safe all the time,” she said. “They don’t even know they are doing it.”
It might not be the best way to start a business, giving things away, but Howard figures it’s the least she can do.
“This is my opportunity,” she said. “Now I’m the owner, so can say, ‘OK, I’m doing it.'"
Howard’s hope is to give free health care to two dogs per year, with an emphasis on those who have helped the community.
Email: acabrero@deseretnews.com