Soldiers Hero Dog Stolen
Where’s Matty?
On July 20, 2013, Spc. Brent Grommet returned from Afghanistan with his military working dog, a Czech German shepherd named Matty. The two had gone through basic training together, deployed together and were injured together when a roadside IED detonated.
Grommet slept on top of Matty’s crate as they flew back to the United States. Upon landing at an Air Force base in New Jersey, the two were separated — standard operating procedure.
Grommet wasn’t worried, though: According to Army regulations, if he wanted Matty, he had the sole right to adopt his military working dog. This right is colloquially known as Robby’s Law, and was signed by President Clinton in 2000.
Grommet had already filled out the adoption paperwork in the Middle East and handed it over to K2 Solutions, the private firm that then contracted with the Army on canine issues — and who took Matty for an examination.
But Brent Grommet never saw Matty again.