LIFE’S A (PETTIN Meet Conan THE DOG WHO HELPED TAKE DOWN AL-BAGHDADI Hello, everyone! My name’s Henly. I’m the blue heeler you might have met at The Animal Clinic of Kalispell. My human, Kristin, works there as a veterinary technician. Sometimes she takes me with her so I can play with everyone at the clinic. It’s always so much fun! I love meeting new people. A Word From Henl
Valentine’s Day Dog Treats: Cranberry Hearts Last summer, we moved to a new house with a barn and tons of space to run around. That’s when the goats and chickens started to arrive. At first, Kristin just got a couple of Nigerian Dwarf goats for Trevor, which are a really small type of goat, smaller than me, so they’re perfect for little him. But when people found out we had goats I’ve lived with Kristin and her husband, Martin, ever since I was a puppy. I joined the family back when they were still dating. Our family has grown so much over the last four years! Back then, it was just us and the cat, Yeti. Then Kristin and Martin got married, had their son Trevor, and brought more pets into the family. Kristin has fostered kittens for the Flathead Animal Shelter for years, so I’ve grown up around cats. But more recently, some very different kinds of animals have made their home with us.
On Oct. 28 last year, President Donald Trump tweeted a photo that quickly went viral. It showed an adorable snapshot of a bright-eyed Belgian Malinois, tongue lolling, still wearing its camo military vest. In the caption, President Trump explained that the pup, Conan, was a national hero who was instrumental in taking down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. With four years in special operations forces and roughly 50 missions under his collar, Conan was selected to be part of the team that pursued al-Baghdadi through a network of underground tunnels in northwest Syria, where the terrorist ultimately died. It’s unclear
whether Conan was there to track al-Baghdadi or to spot improvised explosive devices that may have been planted on the route, but either way, he performed well.
According to NBC News, Conan was injured by some live electrical cables during the mission, but he recovered quickly and was back on duty within the week. Meanwhile, President Trump invited the brave pup to the White House and tweeted out a doctored photo that showed him awarding Conan a Medal of Honor. President Trump captioned the photo “AMERICAN HERO!” and he’s not alone in his appreciation for the hardworking dogs that have been helping our military since World War II. “To me, they’re the first line of defense,” United States War Dogs Association President Ron Aiello told Vox after the news about Conan came out. “They’re such a great asset to our military today.” Military dogs are put up for adoption after 6–8 years in the service, which means a lucky civilian could take Conan in as early as 2022! Meanwhile, dozens of other smart canine heroes are looking for homes. To learn more about military and other working dog adoptions, visit MissionK9Rescue.org.
Ingredients
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2 large eggs
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1 1/2 cups almond flour
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1 tbsp coconut oil
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1/2 cup dried cranberries
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3–4 tbsp coconut flour
Inspired by Pretty Fluffy
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