No man, or pup, left behind!
A group of American soldiers stationed in Syria has adopted a stray pup they named Harley and are raising money to help bring their furry family member home to the United States.
According to Paws of War — a non-profit helping the troops collect donations to bring Harley home — the soldiers had been out on a mission when they heard a puppy crying.
After some investigation they discovered six puppies, but only one was still alive, little Harley. They took her back to their base with them and started to take care of her, making her an important part of their troop.
“When these guys befriend a dog in a war zone it’s often what helps them get through each day,” explained Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War.
Now that the troops will be heading back to the U.S. and they can’t fathom leaving her behind. They plan to send her home with one of their soldiers, who’s name cannot be released due to security reasons.
“They absolutely know they can’t leave Harley behind, so we agreed to work together with them and other contacts we have in that area in a team effort to bring her back to America,” Misseri said in a press release. “But we can’t do it without the help of the public, because we need donations to pull this off.”
According to their website, they only have until June 6 to raise the necessary funds to afford to bring Harley back to the States. WXJT News reports that they have to raise $6,000 to cover the costs.
“These soldiers know how dangerous it would be to leave their furry family member there in Syria,” Misseri added. “We will make every effort to bring Harley to America so she can live out her life here. The soldiers believe they saved Harley, but really she may have saved them.”
On top of helping soldiers bring dogs back to the U.S., Paws of War is also dedicated to rescuing and training dogs, and then pairing them with veterans who need therapy animals. Last year, the non-profit similarly helped U.S. Soldier Timothy Boyd bring back his rescued pup, Misha, from Afghanistan.
