US Army Soldiers Share Inspiring Story Of Saving The Lives Of Puppies In The Middle East And Their Struggle To Get Them Home

The New York non-profit Paws of War recently shared how a group of soldiers befriended a mother dog and her eight puppies and the story of bringing them from the Middle East to the United States. 

The non-profit shared the story with Fox News of how the military members in the Middle East met the pregnant dog, who they decided to name Meatball. The soldiers found the dog buried beneath a shipping container attempting to make a safe space to give birth to her puppies. Upon finding her, the soldiers provided the expecting pup with food and water, helping Meatball give birth to her eight little puppies. 

Things got rocky for the dog family after the birth when they witnessed a rare ice storm that caused the little hole the dog stayed in to fill with ice and sludge. The soldiers weren’t going to let Meatball and her litter suffer, bringing them to the base where they received warm shelter and food. 

Helping Meatball and her family didn’t just help the dogs but also boosted the morale of the soldiers away from home. Paws of War noted how the dog's presence gave the Army members “something positive to focus on,” helping distract them from their less-than-stellar reality. 

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Rickly and his fellow Army soldiers are now looking to get the pooches somewhere safer than the Middle East, hoping to get them into the United States. Rickly wrote to Fox News and explained the situation and his goals for the animals. 

"When things back home took a turn for the worse, I became sad being so far away and it was hard to stay focused," he wrote. “Making it my mission to ensure… that each of the pups has a loving forever home, and taking care of them, has given me great comfort during difficult times.” 

The organization notes how the soldiers saved the dogs' lives as in the Middle East, dogs are not treated like pets but instead animals akin to possums and mice. Because of this treatment, it is dangerous to leave the dogs in the Middle East as the puppies have now been raised in a providing environment, making it hard for them to be able to fend for themselves. 

"Since the day they were born, they have been taken care of, and they don't know what suffering awaits them if they have to fend for themselves," Rickly noted in his writing. 

Things are still looking positive for the dogs, with both the support of the Army and Paws of War, they will surely end up in a safe place. 

"The story of Meatball and her pups is an example of how much these animals matter to our active military and the life-saving difference we can make for those animals who become family to them,” said Robert Misseri, co-founder and president of Paws of War. “We are doing everything we can to ensure this mission to bring them to America and back to their soldiers' sides has a happy ending."