Iraqi Dog Finds Marine After Miracle Trek

[Judi Lynn]

Iraqi Dog Finds Marine After Miracle Trek
Animal Befriended by Marine Wanders Into Camp After Two-Day, 70-Mile Journey Through Iraq
By DAVID SCHOETZ
Feb. 13, 2008



For Maj. Brian Dennis, the Semper Fidelis credo extends beyond his fellow Marines.

The story began with a few e-mails Dennis sent home about a dog his unit had met while looking for insurgents along the border of Iraq and Syria. If all goes as planned, it will end with a man and a dog he grew to love reunited on American soil.

A pack of desert dogs lived at one of the Iraqi border forts the unit patrolled. A wiry German shepherd-border collie mix was the alpha dog. Maj. Brian Dennis took a liking to the animal, whose nubby ears had been cut off as a puppy. Dennis, a 37-year-old Marine serving his second tour in Iraq, saw the dog about each time they visited the fort. He named him "Nubs."

At first, Nubs wouldn't give the Marine the time of day. "Nubs wouldn't have anything to do with him," Marsha Cargo, the Marine's mother, told ABC News. "Brian just kept working on him and working on him."

The time came, however, for Dennis' unit to relocate 70 miles from Nubs' home fort. He may have wanted to take Nubs with the unit, Dennis wrote in one one of his e-mails home, but there were too many dogs to rescue and keeping a canine was against the rules. As always, Nubs sprinted alongside the Hummers as they pulled away for what Dennis assumed was the last time he would see the dog.

More:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4279495&page=1

[shireen]

1. wonderful story!

Dogs are little miracles, truly our best friends when humanity has let us down.

[xchrom]

2. nubs knows who his person is.

dogs and people belong together.

[Tumbulu]

3. thanks for posting such a nice story

I do believe Temple Grandin's theory that wolves became dogs in the process of domesticating humans. And they keep trying to improve us, every day.

[seafan]

4. Couldn't resist this story.

A pack of desert dogs lived at one of the Iraqi border forts patrolled by Marines. Maj. Brian Dennis took a liking to a wiry German shepherd-border collie mix, whose nubby ears had been cut off as a puppy. The 37-year-old Marine serving his second tour in Iraq, named the dog "Nubs." (Maj. Brian Dennis)


Iraqi Dog Finds Marine After Miracle Trek

February 13, 2008

.....

The time came, however, for Dennis' unit to relocate 70 miles from Nubs' home fort. He may have wanted to take Nubs with the unit, Dennis wrote in one one of his e-mails home, but there were too many dogs to rescue and keeping a canine was against the rules. As always, Nubs sprinted alongside the Hummers as they pulled away for what Dennis assumed was the last time he would see the dog.

Two days later, Nubs wandered inexplicably in below-freezing conditions into Dennis' new camp, shocking the Marine unit. "I won't even address the gauntlet he had to run of dog packs, wolves, and God knows what else to get here," Dennis wrote. "When he arrived he looked like he'd just been through a war zone.

"Uh, wait a minute, he had," Dennis wrote.

Nubs' miraculous journey forced the Marine's hand, and Dennis and his fellow Marines unanimously decided to keep the animal, building a doghouse at the camp. When two military police officers told Dennis the dog could not stay at the camp, he decided the only way to properly keep the animal was to get it to the United States.

"This dog who had been through a lifetime of fighting, war, abuse, and had tracked down our team over 70 miles of harsh desert was going to live the good life," Dennis wrote.

.....

[shireen]

5. that photo cracks me up! LOL!

He's cradling his doggie like a baby, it's so sweet.

Dog's don't have much of a sense of size. Any chihuahua will tell you that! Big dogs are no better ... one time, sitting on the floor cradling my friend's Border Terrier, her big sister, a large German Shepherd decided she wanted to sit on my lap too! It was hilarious, wish someone had been around to capture that silly scene.

Birds are even worse. Once time, I watched a House Finch scold a 1st year Red Tailed Hawk, inches from the hawk's bill! :rofl:

[Virginia Dare]

7. My 60 lb Lab loves to be cradled like a baby, LOL!!!

that shows complete trust, especially for a formerly abused dog. What a sweet story!

[Zywiec]

6. Great story. Thanks for posting. n/t

[Muttocracy]

8. great story! thanks!

I love my border collie / German Shep / whatever mutt. An especially wonderful blend :)

[applegrove]

9. I love stories like that. Thanks for the post.