Dogs belonging to soldiers being cared for while they’re away

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Miche Branscum plays ball with Leonidas at Trinity Springs Park on Saturday. Miche and her husband Kevin are fostering Leo through the GASP program while his owner is serving in the military.

August 22, 2010

By HEATHER TOMLINSON, CJ Staff Writer Commonwealth Journal The Commonwealth Journal Sun Aug 22, 2010, 07:00 AM EDT

Somerset —

At first glance, it appears Leonidas is right at home with his family during an outing to Trinity Springs Park in Somerset. The pit bull seems well adjusted, besides having a bad habit of jumping on people to greet them — something brought on by his smaller friend, Liberty. But upon closer inspection, one discovers the real story behind Leo. Kevin and Miche Branscum, of Somerset, and Liberty are, in fact, Leo’s family, but he has another family. One that’s counting down the days until his duty in the military has been completed and he can bring his beloved pet home again. Miche and Kevin became involved in the “Guardian Angels for Soldiers’ Pets,” or GASP program, several months ago. The couple, who have two other dogs besides Liberty and, for now, Leo, were inspired to get involved by a news program describing GASP and its mission. And it’s mission is this: When a soldier finds himself or herself looking at a time away from home, whether that be for training stateside, or for a long deployment overseas, GASP is there to care for their pets while they’re away. “They (foster families with GASP) are having a big surge out of Fort Campbell right now,” Miche said. Miche is the Kentucky Community Outreach Liaison for GASP — the first officer in Kentucky — and she said there’s a need for a greater awareness of the program, which gives soldiers peace of mind while they’re away from their pets. “It’s just a need,” Miche said. “It’s a way of giving back to people who already give a lot.” Leo’s owner, or “Dad,” is hoping to be able to welcome his pet back home in February, but there’s a chance of a deployment on the horizon, and so Miche and Kevin are preparing to keep the pit bull for longer, if need be. Not that it’s a problem for the family. They’ve grown to love the rambunctious dog, which has a love for playing ball and an innate friendliness for anyone willing to give him a pat on the head or back. But Leo is luckier than many pets. Some soldiers are forced to leave their animals at shelters and with humane societies during their time away, and sometimes, the odds are against dogs like Leo. “These are the typical types of dogs we get,” Miche said in reference to Leo’s powerful breed. Miche said many soldiers keep larger breeds, such as pit bulls and Rottweilers. That can automatically turn potential adopting families off when searching for a new pet for their home. “The big guys like this don’t get adopted in shelters,” Miche said. That’s why the GASP program has seen so many inquiries about fostering from soldiers all over the United States. While the organization isn’t new, it still hasn’t saturated Kentucky as it has other states, and many soldiers in Kentucky see their dogs and other pets fostered in Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee while they’re away. Miche said there’s always a need for GASP foster families, and she said it’s far too often she comes across instances in which soldiers don’t know about the program. The Branscums themselves had no idea such a program existed until just a few months ago, but now that they’re taken in their first foster, Leo, they intend to participate as a foster family for years to come. And Leo will probably always hold a special place in their heart — although his life with them did take some adjustments. “The first morning we had him, Leo got Kevin up at 5 a.m. in the morning wanting to go run because that’s when his dad took him,” Miche said. Leo’s owner, who is stationed at Fort Knox, gets to visit with the dog on occasion, and Miche said his love of the dog — and how much he misses him — is obvious. “During the visits, he just stares at him (Leo),” Miche said. But he knows Leo is in safe hands, which belong to two people who have grown to love the dog. “It’ll be sad when he (Leo) goes home, but at least he’s going back to his family,” Miche said. For more information about the program, go to www.GuardianAngelsforSoldiersPet.org, or e-mail Miche Branscum at gasp.outreach.ky@gmail.com.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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