Dogs might not be people but when they serve they’re every bit as much a soldier as people are, and according to reports, President Joe Biden abandoned the dogs that worked alongside our military in Afghanistan.

A tweet from the Human Society tweeted out that contract working dogs that served in our military have been left behind to a horrible fate that will likely involve torture and death at the hands of the Taliban.

The American government is pulling out of #Kabul and leaving behind brave U.S. military contract working dogs to be tortured and killed at the hand of our enemies. We stand ready to bring them home! Read our CEO @RobinGanzert's full statement: https://t.co/IKhBkm4B7a pic.twitter.com/ItFlthDTAi

— American Humane (@AmericanHumane) August 30, 2021

“I am devastated by reports that the American government is pulling out of Kabul and leaving behind brave U.S. military contract working dogs to be tortured and killed at the hand of our enemies.  These brave dogs do the same dangerous, lifesaving work as our military working dogs, and deserved a far better fate than the one to which they have been condemned,” said American Humane President and CEO Robert Ganzert in a statement.

It doesn’t have to be this way. According to Ganzert, American Humane is “ready to not only help transport these contract K-9 soldiers to U.S. soil but also to provide for their lifetime medical care.”

In Afghanistan culture, dogs are considered unclean, to begin with. Judging by how the Taliban treat people who worked with Americans, it’s horrifying to even consider what they’d do to the dogs who worked directly with American soldiers to carry out their jobs.

The fact makes this move by the Biden administration all the more unconscionable. Leaving behind Americans and those Afghans who served American purposes to their fates, as well as those of the dogs who helped us, will go down as one of the most heinous moves a president has ever made.

Moreover, leaving these dogs trapped and abandoned in cages is just cruel.

While these dogs were merely contracted and not fully military, it doesn’t make them any less important. It’s likely their handlers would have swept them up and placed them in whatever available space there was in order to take them home.

“We call on Congress to take action to classify contract working dogs on the same level as military working dogs. Failure to do anything less, is a failure of humanity and a condemnation of us all,” said Ganzert.

It’s unlikely that we’ll get every animal that deserves to be evacuated out and that some of these loyal animals will meet awful fates, but organizations are working hard to get as many animals to American soil as possible.

An organization known as Kabul Small Animal Rescue is working hard to evacuate, not only staff but also the animals under their care.

Some of the dogs we are trying to get to safety. #OperationHercules pic.twitter.com/uQqmbLF37W

— Kabul Small Animal Rescue (@KSAnimalRescue) August 29, 2021

The KSAR says they’re in contact with those who can help, but are urging Americans to contact their representatives in order to do what can be done in order to have the animals moved out on planes.

🆘Charter plane cant get in soon enough. WE NEED HELP for permission to use cargo space on departing evac planes to move animals. We dont want to take space from people only use the cargo. WE NEED TO MOVE THE ANIMALS OUT. Please call/tag your reps. We need help on the ground ASAP

— Kabul Small Animal Rescue (@KSAnimalRescue) August 27, 2021

🆘If anyone has a POC with someone on the ground at #kabulairport that *IF* we gain approval can help grab the dogs right away & get them to a plane, please DM us how to reach them. Still waiting for approval. Keep sharing! #operationhercules

— Kabul Small Animal Rescue (@KSAnimalRescue) August 27, 2021

An organization called Veteran Sheepdogs of America also appears to be slicing through red tape and raising funds in order to transport 51 dogs to safety and caring for them in the meantime.

UPDATE: We are securing PPR papers for extract from Afghanistan for the people that can't get on Kabul Airfield & remaining funding. The 51 working dogs are being fed & watered. Thank you for all your generosity through this! Please keep praying!https://t.co/3vaYMb4bWN pic.twitter.com/tvMIHT184K

— Veteran Sheepdogs of America (@VetSheepdogsUS) August 30, 2021

Again, none of this had to happen and this could have gone so much more smoothly. We’ve abandoned everything from people to weapons, and now we can add loyal animals to the list.