Fayette veterinarian to care for dogs of war

By Katie Leslie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When Ray Rudd told a recruiter he had a lifelong respect for the military, the other man suggested Rudd join the U.S. Army Reserve. The Peachtree City veterinarian replied he was older than he looked.

Three years and an age waiver later, Rudd, 54, is headed for the front lines of the Afghanistan war, deployed later this month to tend to military dogs struck by gunfire or maimed in explosions. As a member of the U.S. Army Veterinary Service Reserve, he'll swap out his answerable titles, from doctor to major.

"My goal from day one was really to be in a situation where I could help the soldiers by helping the dogs," Rudd said from Fort Lewis, outside Tacoma, Wash. "If a dog helps keep someone from getting blown up by sniffing out the bombs, mines or IEDs, that is helping soldiers."

His foray into battle is remarkable because Rudd is far from a career soldier. His military career began after he attended a 2007 Florida conference and chatted with a U.S. Army recruitment officer.

The Army needed veterinary surgeons such as Rudd, who with wife, Mary Kay, opened the Braelinn Village Animal Hospital in 1995. Rudd was given his age waiver and submitted to three years of training leading to his impending departure overseas. (Braelinn has hired additional veterinary surgeons, Rudd assures his clients.) 

Rudd is currently stationed at Fort Lewis, awaiting a year-long deployment. Rudd will have duties that go beyond providing medical care to wounded animals. These military vets also act as public health officials inother ways, inspecting food preparation facilities for safety measures and participating in food defense research.

His canine patients are given the same level of care as their human counterparts, even receiving military ranks. Rudd will help stabilize the animals and provide the first level of medical aid before the dogs can be sent as far away as Germany or Texas for advanced treatment.

Mary Kay Rudd and the couple's four grown children are cautiously supportive of their father, who jokes that he's known for surprises.

"I think [our kids] are a little perplexed, but on the other hand, this is something he was bound and determined to do," Mary Kay Rudd said. "None of us wanted to stop him. He’s so proud of this country and he’s so proud of the military."

Rudd previously served in the Riverdale Police Department as a reserve officer, helping care for its canine unit.

"He did a good job for us and left us in good standing, so we don’t have anything but kudos for him," said Riverdale Chief of Police Samuel F. Patterson. "It's kind of interesting he’d go to [Afghanistan] at his age, but stranger things have happened."

For now, Rudd is focusing on adjusting to life in the military, a world and opportunity he thought had passed him by years ago. Afghanistan and injured dogs await him.

“I haven’t had time to be nervous," Rudd said. "They have got so many hoops to jump through here, I haven’t had time to think about what’s happening next."