Dog Saved by Marine is Coming Home!!

Marine Maj. Brian Dennis, a 36-year old from St. Pete Beach, FL volunteered to be deployed to Iraq and in October this story begins. Maj. Dennis wrote stories
home about the many abandoned dogs seen roaming the streets of Iraq and he also discussed the relationship the dogs had with the Iraqi civilians.

The Iraqis feed the dogs their scraps and the dogs act as lookouts for an enemies that may be approaching. They make their homes in the middle of the desert and will scatter or try to protect their territory if a stranger approaches. This is very beneficial to the Iraqis - they have an advance warning - day or night.

The major was on patrol when he first spotted Nubs - named because someone had cut off his ears. Over the next few weeks, Nubs was greeting Maj. Dennis during routine border patrols. Dennis and his fellow Marines fed Nubs scraps of food and they kept a close eye on their newfound friend.

In late December, things got much worse for Nubs; Dennis found him freezing, and near death. He had been stabbed by someone with a screwdriver. The Marine brought him to safety, rubbed antiseptic lotion on the wound and slept with the dog to keep him warm. Days later, his squad moved their camp to a location about 65 miles away and somehow Nubs tracked him down.

Standard policy in the military prohibits keeping pets in war zones, Dennis was given two choices, he had 4 days to either get the dog off the base, or kill him. For Dennis, the decision was an easy one, he wasted no time finding a veterinarian in nearby Jordan to get the care and paperwork necessary to get the dog to the United States.

Dennis' family and close friends raised $3,500 needed to get the dog into the country and to his mother in San Diego, CA. A friend and colleague in San Diego has agreed to care for the dog until Dennis returns home from Iraq which is scheduled to happen in March.