CAMDEN — Those who voted for Anna in Penobscot Bay Pilot's Funniest Pet Photo Contest can feel extra good about helping her win. She and her owner, Barbara Maccallum of Friendship, are donating her $250 Loyal Biscuit gift certificate to help abandoned and stray pets make their way out of Afghanistan and into the homes of the U.S. soldiers they befriended.

Anna's story has also prompted Heidi Neal, owner of Loyal Biscuit, to offer a discount to anyone who purchases items to add to Anna's gift, as well as be a drop-off place -- in Rockland, Camden and Belfast -- for the collection of additional donations.

Anna is a 1-1/2-year-old sage Koochee Anatolian shepherd mix and she came to the U.S. from Wardak Province in Afghanistan as a puppy. She was rescued in Afghanistan by a government contractor and began her trek to America via The Puppy Rescue Mission.

Many Americans have read about dogs wandering onto U.S. military bases in Middle Asia, and soldiers befriending and taking them in. These dogs, and cats too, bring a sense of peace and calm during otherwise chaotic and scary times, and they also provide a distraction and for some, a reminder of home.

Dogs are disliked by many Afghanistans who consider them unclean, among other things, so stray and unwanted dogs are malnourished and mistreated, often needing, and by nature, seeking TLC. Spaying and neutering stray dogs and cats is often only done in bigger cities in Afghanistan, and then only in small numbers. That leaves many of them giving them birth, over and over again, to litters of puppies and kittens, many of which don't survive birth or live past 3-years-old.

Those dogs that are lucky, which are often ones important to nomadic peoples, are used as guard dogs. Bred to protect livestock, both Koochee dogs and Anatolian shepherds are loyal, intelligent, fearless and tough.

And it's those traits, combined with the interaction of U.S. soldiers and their subsequent desire to help the dogs, which led to the formation of The Puppy Rescue Mission.

The Mission was founded by Anna Cannan, when her fiancé, Chris, was deployed and stationed in Afghanistan. A few weeks before he arrived overseas at his combat outpost, a suicide bomber made his way onto the post.

According to the Mission's website, local dogs on the post, Rufus, Target and Sasha, immediately started barking and took off in pursuit of the bomber. Rufus grabbed the man's leg while Target and Sasha alerted U.S. troops.

"Realizing his cover was blown, the suicide bomber blew himself up never making it into the living quarters of the soldiers. Thankfully, all the soldiers survived the attack with only a few sustaining injuries. Sasha did not survive the attack and was laid to rest at the post. Target, who was badly injured in the blast, was later nursed back to health along with Rufus," according to the Mission's story.

Shortly after Chris arrived at the post, he and the other soldiers befriended the dogs, as well as Target's litter of puppies, which were only four or five weeks old. As time went by, the dogs became very fond of the soldiers caring for them, and a strong bond formed between them, as the dogs provided a welcome sense of normalcy for the soldiers.

"Although the majority of our rescues are dogs, we do occasionally have requests from soldiers to save their cats as well. Our motto is that if the companion animal is important enough for the soldier to want to rescue then they are important enough to us to do so. Battle buddies come in all different sizes, colors and species and we do not discriminate. When our troops ask for our help to rescue their furry friends we gladly offer it and we try our very best to do so on their behalf." – The Puppy Rescue Mission

Over time, Anna learned from Chris in their conversations how important the dogs were to the soldiers, and he eventually began to talk to her about the idea of bringing some of the dogs back to the U.S. when his tour was up.

Bringing seven of the dogs back to the States became the mission, and fundraising began to collect the approximately $3,000 needed to bring each dog back. The cost included vaccinations, transport from the base to the shelter to the airport, as well as airfare from Afghanistan to each dog's new home state in the U.S.

After successfully fundraising to rescue the "Lucky Seven," the Puppy Rescue Mission has continued to fundraise to rescue more dogs that helped overseas soldiers in various ways. The Puppy Rescue Mission is now a nonprofit and works directly with several organizations in Afghanistan that provide medical care for the soldiers' animals, as well as transportation for the animals.

Maccallum got involved through a friend's son who was injured in Afghanistan and brought a puppy back with him.

"I got involved with the fundraising to bring his puppy to the U.S. and then Anna's litter came on the radar," said Maccallum.

Anna was seven months old when she arrived in Maine Sept. 11, 2012, and was welcomed in to Maccallum's home.

Koochee dogs and Anatolian shepherds don't present any more behavioral challenges than other breeds known to be protective, according to Maccallum.

"They are guardians and protectors. Anna is not a fetcher like a retriever. She may chase a ball once in a while, but she usually looks at your like 'that's not my role in life,'" said Maccallum.

Some dogs being adopted by soldiers are those used for fighting by locals. The identity of fighting dogs is obvious, as their ears are chopped off and their tails cut to a stump, often when they are young. If they can be, those dogs are being rescued too, said Maccallum.

To adopt a dog, or to help a soldier bring their dog home from Afghanistan, contact with The Puppy Rescue Mission is the first step. There is an application to fill out for adopters, who are then vetted by a Mission coordinator to ensure a good fit for the dog and the individual or family.

Items needed by The Puppy Rescue Mission: Puppy training pads • Small, uncovered litter boxes (approx. 8” x 12”) • Esbilac, puppy and kitten, either regular or goats milk powders • Nursing kits • Towels • Tough durable toys • Small, inexpensive fleece blankets • Post-surgical collars/cones • Vitacal chews • Nutri-Cal vitamin paste for dogs • Syringes • Cat food in foil pouches • Heavy duty black garbage bags • Treats (dog and cat) • Biscuits • Flea and tick meds (Frontline or Advantix) • and Brushes and Combs.

"If there's a fit, you then raise the funds to bring the dog home," said Maccallum. "You give what you can and then the Mission will help you raise the balance if needed."

Maccallum said the cost is approximately $4,000 and for those making donations to the Mission, it is tax deductible.

Macccallum said she is "pawing it forward" and donating Anna's $250 prize in the form of a bevy of dog and cat supplies to the transit facility she stayed at before coming to the United States. All pets being rescued from Afghanistan are vaccinated and quarantined before leaving the country, and that facility is run by the Afghan Stray Animal League.

Armed with a list of items the facility needs, they shopped Loyal Biscuit's Camden store before it opened Monday morning. Filling numerous bags, the items will be shipped to a Mission volunteer in New Jersey, and from there it will go to Afghanistan.

"The Puppy Rescue Mission is all run by volunteers and with so many 501c3 organizations out there that use a lot of the money for administration, this group is the opposite," said Maccallum. "Mission administrative costs are kept very low and that is one thing I can say about the Mission as a nonprofit organization."

Moved by Anna's story, Neal is making her donation of Loyal Biscuit goods to be included with Maccallum's gift, and anyone making a donation of products purchased at Loyal Biscuit will get 10 percent off.

Loyal Biscuit stores are located at 442 Main St. in Rockland, 39 Mechanic St. in Camden and 1 Belmont Ave. in Belfast. Purchases as well as donations can be left at any of the three stores now through Oct. 31.

"If anyone wants to make a donation in another way, they can email me at bp999@aol.com," said Maccallum.

The Penobscot Bay Pilot’s Funniest Pet Photo Contest was co-sponsored by Country Inn, which also gave a $250 gift certificate to the winner.

 Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.