An American soldier has been reunited with a dog that he was forced to leave behind in Afghanistan, when he left the country after combat.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Brady met the dog , Bailey, whilst serving in the war torn nation, after he started to follow some of the local troops. Brady’s unit soon grew enamoured with the dog and he became a loyal companion to the crew.
Bailey, an Antolian shepherd mix, would help to comfort soldiers who had become ill or were homesick, and longed for their own pets . However, when it was time for Brady’s unit to return home they were forced to leave Bailey behind.
Guardians of Rescue, an organization that looks to rescue and find homes for animals, then decided to step in and reunite the pair, after Brady contacted Dori Scofield, the group’s vice president, three months ago, asking for assistance.
Scofield agreed, stating that “the least we can do is help them get their war buddy home,” because Brady had risked his life so valiantly in combat.
The group then managed to raise around $5,000, which helped to get Bailey and Brady back together. Guardians of Rescue also noted that it might have saved Bailey’s life as Afghanistan citizens have been known to murder dogs that have been left there by American soldiers.
Bailey was placed in a kennel and then put on a flight to her new home, and after making a quick stop in Dubai he continued to JFK where Scofield picked her up on July 2.
Then on July 4, Brady and Bailey were finally reconciled, and he took the dog home with him to Sacramento, California, where the former solider works as deputy sheriff. Brady admitted that Bailey had “got a lot bigger” since he last saw the pooch.
[Image via Facebook/Guardians of Rescue]
