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Marine Maj. Brian Dennis was deployed to Iraq around August 2007 to work as part of the military team building infrastructure along the Syria-Iraq border and training Iraqi forces to take over. In October, Dennis noticed a dog, which he thought looked like a German Shepherd-Border Collie Mix, that would hang around the U.S. troops and chase the Hummer vehicles as they drove to their destinations. While many of the troops leave scraps for the strays, dogs (or pets of any kind) are strictly prohibited in the war zone and are not allowed to be taken in by any military personnel. Dennis had mentioned in emails he sent to his family back in the U.S. that there are several stray dogs running around in the desert and the Iraqis prefer it that way. Apparently the dogs fend for the themselves and when people or vehicles come near they bark and make noise in order to defend their territories. The Iraqis use this as a clue that someone is near, so they sometimes harass these stray dogs in order to make them more aggressive to intruders.Dennis nicknamed the dog Nubs and the Marines almost looked forward to seeing him hanging around the squad. One day in December, Dennis found Nubs near death in freezing temperatures and noticed he had been stabbed with a screwdriver. Dennis rubbed antibiotic cream on his wounds and slept with him that night in order to keep him warm. The dog survived through the night and was back to his normal self within days.Soon after Nubs recovered, the Marine squad had to relocate to an area 65 miles away from where they had been stationed. Dennis and the unit figured they would never see Nubs again.
While working on a Humvee two days after they arrived at their new post, Dennis looked up and saw the dog staring at him. Nubs ended up tracking the vehicle 65 miles! The Marines couldn't believe it.
The reunion between Nubs and the marines was short lived due to the "no pets policy" that the Military strictly enforces. Unfortunately, they gave Dennis four days to get rid of the dog or the Military would be forced to get rid of the dog by any means possible.The decision was easy: Nubs was going to get to San Diego where Dennis resides. The logistics, though, were anything but easy.With help from his Iraqi interpreter, Dennis managed to find a Jordanian veterinarian to get the care and paperwork needed to get the dog to the states. He also negotiated the red tape to get Nubs across the border into Jordan.His family and close friends helped raise the $3,500 needed to get the dog from Amman, Jordan, to San Diego. A colleague who lives near Dennis said he would care for the dog and have it trained until Dennis returned home in March 2008.
Marine Maj. Brian Dennis was deployed to Iraq around August 2007 to work as part of the military team building infrastructure along the Syria-Iraq border and training Iraqi forces to take over. In October, Dennis noticed a dog, which he thought looked like a German Shepherd-Border Collie Mix, that would hang around the U.S. troops and chase the Hummer vehicles as they drove to their destinations. While many of the troops leave scraps for the strays, dogs (or pets of any kind) are strictly prohibited in the war zone and are not allowed to be taken in by any military personnel. Dennis had mentioned in emails he sent to his family back in the U.S. that there are several stray dogs running around in the desert and the Iraqis prefer it that way. Apparently the dogs fend for the themselves and when people or vehicles come near they bark and make noise in order to defend their territories. The Iraqis use this as a clue that someone is near, so they sometimes harass these stray dogs in order to make them more aggressive to intruders.Dennis nicknamed the dog Nubs and the Marines almost looked forward to seeing him hanging around the squad. One day in December, Dennis found Nubs near death in freezing temperatures and noticed he had been stabbed with a screwdriver. Dennis rubbed antibiotic cream on his wounds and slept with him that night in order to keep him warm. The dog survived through the night and was back to his normal self within days.Soon after Nubs recovered, the Marine squad had to relocate to an area 65 miles away from where they had been stationed. Dennis and the unit figured they would never see Nubs again.
While working on a Humvee two days after they arrived at their new post, Dennis looked up and saw the dog staring at him. Nubs ended up tracking the vehicle 65 miles! The Marines couldn't believe it.
The reunion between Nubs and the marines was short lived due to the "no pets policy" that the Military strictly enforces. Unfortunately, they gave Dennis four days to get rid of the dog or the Military would be forced to get rid of the dog by any means possible.The decision was easy: Nubs was going to get to San Diego where Dennis resides. The logistics, though, were anything but easy.With help from his Iraqi interpreter, Dennis managed to find a Jordanian veterinarian to get the care and paperwork needed to get the dog to the states. He also negotiated the red tape to get Nubs across the border into Jordan.His family and close friends helped raise the $3,500 needed to get the dog from Amman, Jordan, to San Diego. A colleague who lives near Dennis said he would care for the dog and have it trained until Dennis returned home in March 2008.
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