A few days ago, we told you about Ratchet, the puppy rescued from a burning pile of trash in Iraq, and the international effort to get him to the U.S.
Today, it finally paid off. Ratchet left Iraq on a flight to Kuwait. He’ll go from there to the U.S., where he’ll be examined by a vet. Assuming he’s healthy, he’ll make the final leg of his journey – to Minnesota, home of Sergeant Gwen Beberg, who adopted him in Iraq.
Sgt. Beberg’s mother says Ratchet saved her daughter’s sanity in Iraq. Beberg has been deployed since September 2007, and is scheduled to come home in November.
The military, which had prevented an earlier attempt to fly Ratchet out of Iraq, sometimes euthanizes animals that it confiscates, and Sgt. Beberg was afraid that Ratchet would be killed. She was “thrilled” that Ratchet was given permission to leave.
Ratchet waits for his flight out of Baghdad
The SPCA’s Operation Baghdad Pups organized Ratchet’s trip home. OBP publicist Larry Garrison said the program relies on donations, and it costs about $3,000 to $4,000 to reunite an animal with its servicemember.
“This isn’t a one-time story. This is a program making a difference for our soldiers,” Garrison said.
Congratulations to Ratchet and Sgt. Beberg, and may they soon be happily reunited in Minnesota.
