Soldiers Reunited with Dog & Her Pups They Saved During War
Oct 29, 2013 15:04:37 GMT -5
Post by PrisonerOfHope on Oct 29, 2013 15:04:37 GMT -5
Soldiers Reunited with Dog and Her Pups They Saved During War
By Caroline Golon
An unusual reunion took place in New York last week, where a group of soldiers were reunited with Sheba, a stray dog they had befriended while at war in Afghanistan, and her seven puppies.
During their tour overseas, the soldiers met and bonded with the pregnant Sheba, who would sometimes accompany them on patrol. In March, the dog had her babies but was too weak to care for them. The soldiers stepped in and nursed Sheba – and her seven puppies – to health.
The dogs returned the favor tenfold, offering the men a bright spot in the midst of the war zone.
Sgt. Travis Burton told CBS News New York, “When you come off a mission, it was really nice to go out there and feed them and just have them there to brighten up your day and get your mind off things you’d done or seen.”
When the men learned a few months later that they would soon be returning to the states, they were crushed that they’d have to leave the dogs behind.
One of the men, Staff Sgt. Edwin Caba, wanted to see if something could be done to bring the dogs with them. He got in touch with friends in the U.S. who connected him with Guardians of Rescue, an organization dedicated to retrieving dogs from combat zones. The organization was happy to assist in raising money and coordinating the groups needed to bring the dogs safely home. Guardians of Rescue estimates it costs about $4,000 to bring one dog from a war zone into the United States.
Last week, the soldiers and the eight dogs met again in a happy, tail wagging reunion, eager to begin their new lives together. All of the puppies – Cadence, Rocky, Sarah, Jack, Buckeye, Breezy and Harris – are going to new homes with the soldiers who looked after them overseas. For now, Sheba is staying with the Guardians of Rescue, with the possibility of training to be a therapy dog for a veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“We started falling in love with the dogs,” Caba said. “They started growing up and getting their own personalities. To see them here today is just fantastic.”
Picture at link.
By Caroline Golon
An unusual reunion took place in New York last week, where a group of soldiers were reunited with Sheba, a stray dog they had befriended while at war in Afghanistan, and her seven puppies.
During their tour overseas, the soldiers met and bonded with the pregnant Sheba, who would sometimes accompany them on patrol. In March, the dog had her babies but was too weak to care for them. The soldiers stepped in and nursed Sheba – and her seven puppies – to health.
The dogs returned the favor tenfold, offering the men a bright spot in the midst of the war zone.
Sgt. Travis Burton told CBS News New York, “When you come off a mission, it was really nice to go out there and feed them and just have them there to brighten up your day and get your mind off things you’d done or seen.”
When the men learned a few months later that they would soon be returning to the states, they were crushed that they’d have to leave the dogs behind.
One of the men, Staff Sgt. Edwin Caba, wanted to see if something could be done to bring the dogs with them. He got in touch with friends in the U.S. who connected him with Guardians of Rescue, an organization dedicated to retrieving dogs from combat zones. The organization was happy to assist in raising money and coordinating the groups needed to bring the dogs safely home. Guardians of Rescue estimates it costs about $4,000 to bring one dog from a war zone into the United States.
Last week, the soldiers and the eight dogs met again in a happy, tail wagging reunion, eager to begin their new lives together. All of the puppies – Cadence, Rocky, Sarah, Jack, Buckeye, Breezy and Harris – are going to new homes with the soldiers who looked after them overseas. For now, Sheba is staying with the Guardians of Rescue, with the possibility of training to be a therapy dog for a veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“We started falling in love with the dogs,” Caba said. “They started growing up and getting their own personalities. To see them here today is just fantastic.”
Picture at link.
