Iraq soldier pleads: Let my dog go home
By Christie Keith
October 13, 2008
From Sunday’s Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune:
Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg isn’t having an easy year in Iraq. When the Spring Lake Park native bonded with an abandoned puppy found whimpering in a burning trash heap in Baghdad, she wanted to make sure the black-and-white mutt named Ratchet made it home with her.
On Oct. 1, Beberg placed 6-month-old Ratchet on an Army convoy to the Baghdad airport, where he was to be flown to her parents’ home in Minnesota by a rescue group called Operation Baghdad Pups. But the dog was taken away by an Army officer before it reached the airplane. Beberg’s family and Operation Baghdad Pups officials now fear Ratchet will be shot.
[....]
“Please, please let my dog come home! Ratchet is everything to me!” she wrote on thepetitionsite.com.
“I couldn’t have made it through this deployment without his wagging tail and understanding eyes. This is unbelievably important to me, my family, my friends, and even perfect strangers who have taken up the cause.”
Need a reminder what a pet can mean to a soldier? Just watch the video Gina posted on Saturday; bring tissues.
Why would the Army want this animal? Let this soldier have the dog! Click on the petition site link to get this pup back with his owner.
Comment by perkysmom — October 13, 2008 @ 7:42 am
Update: Ratchet was found - still alive - in a freezer. They may or may not be able to get him out of Iraq:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....4014.story
Comment by The OTHER Pat — October 14, 2008 @ 6:28 am
How sad that army officials would treat someone who risked their life for a job as low paying/high risk as a soldier like this.
There is no excuse, especially while congressmen are living the life, taking money from lobbist.
Comment by Beth — October 15, 2008 @ 9:20 am
This story just made my local news tonight (10/16)…hope it is being saturated all over the country…sounds like Ratchet has been cleared by the military to come to the US…he missed last night’s flight..permission came too late..sorry I do not have a link to provide…
Comment by Carol V — October 16, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
50,000 signed the online petition. Blogs were credited with the success!
Link to the update:
http://wcco.com/pets/ratchet.i.....41350.html
Comment by Nadine L. — October 16, 2008 @ 3:24 pm