Some dogs traveling to the U.S. from Iraq weren't dogs of war or trained to sniff explosives. Instead, they provided a little comfort and unconditional love to soldiers stuck in a war zone. With the help of the International SPCA's Baghdad Pups program, two dogs named Liberty and K-Pot have been adopted by soldiers' families.
Because the military doesn't allow units to take adopted dogs with them when they move, soldiers either had to turn them loose or find them a ticket to the States. Amanda Lehneke is adopting Liberty, found by her Army Lieutenant husband during a house raid. Lehneke was prepared for their meeting at JFK Airport: She brought some of her husband's belongings for Liberty to sniff.
Danielle Berger of New Jersey is taking in K-Pot: Her Army Medic brother cut the pup from razor wire he'd become entangled in. K-Pot is what soldiers call their Kevlar helmets, which K-Pot was small enough to fit in after he recovered from his wounds. Video of the two dogs is available here.
More incredible is the story of Nubs, a German Shepard/border collie mix, who Maj. Brian Dennis discovered running wild along the Iraq-Syria border while training Iraqi troops. They soon became fast friends, but Dennis was ordered to move out and bid goodbye to the dog. Two days after the Marines established themselves at a new position, Nubs appeared. He had tracked them 70 miles across the open desert.
Nubs is being taken care of by one of Dennis' stateside friends until his return. Here's video of Nubs arriving in San Diego and meeting his interim family.
