SAN ANTONIO -- Last week we reported about Jasper, a pit bull that was discharged from the military. Jasper's new owner couldn’t get an airline to transport the dog home.
Jasper’s owner, Sgt. Jordan Lee, is in Afghanistan, while his wife is in Colorado Springs.
Jasper was being trained to deploy with Lee but suffered a heat stroke and was retired from the Army. Lee was deployed last April, without Jasper, and he did not find out the dog was alive until two weeks ago.
That’s when the Lee asked his cousin, Paula Adams, to help him get the dog from Texas to Colorado Springs. The only problem: no airlines would take Jasper because he is a pit bull.
After airing the story on KENS 5, dog lovers from all over the country stepped up to volunteer their services to get the dog home.
“I never did hear from the airlines, not once. But the outpouring from the website was overwhelming and heartwarming,” Adams said.
She received help from Military Working Dog Adoptions , a non-profit group that finds homes for retired military working dogs. They have transported more than 300 dogs, most often paying for it out of their own pockets.
“We’re here in San Antonio. We’ve got to help Jasper,” said Louisa Vaughan, the local contact for the group.
Three volunteers will each take a leg of the drive to get Jasper to Colorado. They hope to reach their destination by Saturday.
Paula says Lee is excited it's all coming together and hopes to see Jasper when he returns from his deployment in December.
