Dog rescued from Iraq finds loving home in USA

Dog rescued from Iraq finds loving home in USA

How far will people go to rescue cats and dogs? One person, Terri Crisp, has made 23 trips to Iraq to help bring home soldiers' pets.

Maj. Steven Hutchison got tremendous comfort from Laia, according to this Detroit Free Press story, before Hutchison became the oldest victim of the war at age 60 in May. He slept with his arms round the dog. Now, Laia is living in the USA with a family, thanks to Crisp and Operation Baghdad Pups, an effort sponsored by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International to bring home soldiers cats and dogs.

Even though it's against the military's rules, soldiers are adopting pets in Afghanistan and Iraq, finding the dogs and cats bring themselves and those around them good cheer during difficult times.

Crisp, the program manager for the SPCA, told the Detroit Free Press:

"There may be some people who say, 'You are wasting all that time and money and putting people's lives in danger to go pick up a dog?' " said Terri Crisp, the program manager.

"But these dogs are so much more. ... They have gotten them through some incredibly tough things. ...A lot of the guys will say that when they go out on patrol, the closer they get back to base, they look forward to getting there, because the dog or cat is waiting for them."