Baghdad Pup Going Home to His Sarge

Army allows Minnesota soldier to keep rescued dog

By Peter Fearon, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 20, 2008 3:18 AM CDT

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Baghdad Pup Going Home to His Sarge — Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis with Ratchet, a puppy she and another solider rescued from a burning trash pile in Iraq. (AP Photo/SPCA)

A dog rescued from almost certain death by soldiers in Baghdad will be reunited with the US Army sergeant who adopted him. Military regulations had prevented Sgt. Gwen Beberg, 28, from sending the dog, Ratchet, to the US, but yesterday the SPCA was allowed to fly Ratchet to Kuwait on the first leg of the pooch's journey to Beberg's home in Minnesota.

Ratchet helped Beberg deal with her time in Iraq, which began a year ago. "She was absolutely miserable in the war and was really struggling to keep going every day," said an SPCA spokeswoman. "Ratchet turned it around for her."

(More Ratchet stories.)

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