The True Story of a Mutt,a Marine And a Miracle
Outside a border fort in the desert
of western Iraq,a small, thin dog
watched and waited.His ears had
been cut off to make him a dog of war.
He had no name,And no person to call his own.
Despite his size,he was the leader of his pack,
a group of wild dogs that survived by eating desert
mice and rats and scraps from the Iraqi soldiers
stationed at the fort.
As the dog scanned the desert for a possible meal.
the stillness of the fall morning was broken by the roar of engines,
rubbling closer and closer.He hunkered down in the sand.
Three military Humvee,carrying Major Brian Dennis and his ten Marines,
lumbered to a stop.They were part of Border Transition Team 3/5/2,
there to help train the Iraqi soldiers.
THE OTHER PACK DOGS RACED TO GREET THE MEN.
But the dog without ears
cautiously approached Brian,who knelt down on one knee to meet him.
I call him Nubs because his ears look like little "nubs".
That night,nubs and Brian ate dinner together.
They shared Brian's MREs-or Meals Ready -to -eat-
of spaghetti and Cajun beans and rice.
For dessert,Nubs sampled a strawberry Pop-Tart,wagging his tail.
Later that evening,Nubs stayed with Brian when it was his
turn at guard duty.Together they kept everyone safe.The next day,
Brian gave nubs an extra long belly rub.Then he stepped
into his Humvee and drove away.
The whole pack chased after the vehicles but
quickly lost interest and turned back.Not Nubs.
running faster and faster,he tried to catch up with Brian.
He ran for more than a mile.He had no way of knowing that it
was against the rules for Marines to have pets.
Left behind,Nubs stared after the Humvee as they disappeared
into the shimmering heat of the desert.
Long,lonely weeks passed without any sight of that trio of
Humvee the Marines called Scout,Boss and Chuck.
At the fort,without Brian,there were no belly rubs.
Winter's cold winds began to scour desert,
leaving Nubs scrambling for someplace warm to sleep.As the pack leader,
he faced constant challenges from younger dogs wanting his job.
Sometimes groups of dogs from other forts fought Nubs and his pack over
the little food they had.Nubs lived his rough,harsh life waiting for each time Boss carried back to him.
AT THE FORT,WITHOUT BRIAN,THERE WERE NO BELLY RUBS.
Near the end of December,when the temperature dipped to a bone-chilling 30 degrees,the Humvee again rumbled up to the border fort.
The pack dogs ran to greet Brian.but not Nubs He hung back,gaunt and weak from a deep wound in his side.
Shivering from pain,Nubs allowed Brian and the team medic to clean
the wound and apply antiseptic ointment from the men's firts-aid kits.
He even swallowed the child-sized dose of antibiotic Brian gave him.
but Nubs refused to eat or drink.It hurt so much,he tried to sleep standing up.
When Brian got up at 4a.m.for his turn at watch,Nubs stiffly padded into place beside him.Head and tail drooping,he faithfully made the rounds with Brian.
The next day,Nubs watched as Brian and his team prepared to leave.
He touched his nose to Brian's face as Brian bent down to pet him good-bye.
He felt Brian's head on his and heard him whisper,"Hey",buddy,
you need to eat.You need to get better."
Then Brian climbed into Boss and three Humvee pulled away,Determined not
to be left behind again,Nubs chased after Brian.He couldn't keep up
Alone,he returned to the fort.
Too long weeks later,Scout,Boss,and Chuck thundered up to Nub's was there
to greet them,tail wagging but still moving slowly.
For a few peaceful days,Nubs stuck close to his human "pack".Brian took special care of him,doctoring his wound every morning.Nubs gobbled up his share of Brian's
Marines especially the beef patties.
They wrestled and played "give me five."Brian rubbed
Nub's belly every time he asked.If Brian stopped too soon,Nubs pawed him and made him rub some more.Each night,after the sun set over the desert,Nubs and Brian did their job together.Under an ice-black sky of thousand stars,
they kept watch over everyone.
All too soon,it was time for Brian to leave again.
Nubs followed close on his heels.Brian tightened his winter scarf,
a keffiyah, around his neck and then climbed inside
the Humvee.He leaned out and said to Nubs,"You take care of yourself,buddy"The vehicles rolled across the desert,slowly at first,then picking up speed,heading for
the Command Outpost,far away on the Jordanian border.
Nubs cried as chased them across the cold,coarse sand.
Because of his wound,he could not keep up.he dropped to the ground,exhausted and completely alone.
When Nubs sat up,Scout,Boss,and Chuck were out of sight.
He struggled to his feet and began walking.
Nubs trekked mile after treacherous mile across the desert.
shivering through frozen days and nights.
There was little to eat and rest,Nubs pushed on,
fighting his way through territories fiercely protected by wolves and wild dogs.
Two snowy days and 70 miles later,Nubs limped into the Iraqi battalion headquarters,
where Brian was working.A team member ran inside,
shouting to Brian,"You're not going to believe who's here!"
When Nubs saw Brian,he ran with his tongue out and tail
wagging,Roth into his arms.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
Brian said as he held Nubs close and rubbed him all over.
Nubs finally felt warm again.He pressed his wet nose
against Brian's cheek.
Nubs watched Brian climb into Boss,ordering his team back
to the Command Outpost just half a mile away.
"I know we're not supposed to have dogs at the outpost,"
Brian said to his men."But if he follows us,what can we do?"
When the Humvee began to roll,Nubs trotted right behind them
until they reached the Command Outpost.
Starving and exhausted from his ordeal,Nubs wolfed down pancakes,eggs,and sausages
the Marines brought him,He made dog-Angeles,rolling over and over in the freshly
fallen snow.A few days later,he found a brand-new doghouse,built just for him.
Nubs liked living at the Command Outpost with Brian's men all the other soldiers.
He proudly wore a collar the Marines had fashioned from woven bracelets sent to them from schoolchildren back home.He cheered up his new friends,
collecting belly rubs and making them laugh.And,even though he had his own
doghouse,most nights Nubs curled up in the barracks with Brian and his team.
BUT EVERYTHING WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE.
When to soldiers,who were not a part of his team reported him.
and his Boss said.
"WE WERE GIVEN FOUR DAYS TO 'GET RID OF THE DOG OR ELSE"
But Brian e-mailed his family and asked for help to evacuate Nubs to the
states via Jordan to USA.It is going to cost upwards of 2,000 ti do this.
Brain's Family and Friends wanted to helped.
And U,S,M,C, give it to Brian a paperwork that constitutes the passport and traveled
documentation for his owned dog named Nubs Dennis,He was two years old.
Nubs posed for his passport.He took three baths in three days to get ready
for his trip.That was tiring.
on the last day,Brian picked Nub's brown blanket and his favorite superhero toy.
Brian make a leash for him out of rope.Nubs didn't play with anyone as he usually did.Instead,he sat quietly in a corner.
When it was time to go.Brian scooped him up and put him in Boss.
Together they drove to No Man's Land,the zone between Iraq and Jordan.
There,they met hes brother of Brian's interpreter,who had agreed to help get Nubs from Jordan to the States.He was escorted by Jordanian official.
Nubs rested in Brian's arms as he was carried to a land Rover.
He felt Brian's breath tickle his ear."Be Good,buddy;don't cause any
trouble.these Guy's will take good care of you I'll see you in a couple of months.
I promise"
Two weeks later,Nubs flew the ten-hour flight from Amman to Chicago.Friends of
Brian's picked him up at the airport.Nubs ate steak and strawberry Pop-Tarts for dinner.A few days later Nubs flew out of Chicago on the last leg of his long journey.
Nubs slept in a comfy new dog bed,tried all kinds of tasty food,and went for walks in the dog park .
BUT SOMEONE WAS MISSING.
On march 2008,Erik and Chrissy.Brian's friends drove Nubs to camp Pantaloon.The pawparazzi were there again!Nub's waited and waited.When he finally saw Brian.
NUBS LEAPED INTO HIS ARMS AND COVERED HIM WITH KISSES.
Today,Nubs and Brian lead a busy life.They play at the dog beach and cruise around in Brian's truck.Nubs romps with his friend Bogey and Kublai.Nubs even goes to school.His trainer,Graham,gives him straight A's.
This small dog has done amazing things in his short life.
He chose to travel 70 miles alone across a desert to be with Brian.
It was a miracle he survived.the bigger miracle may be that this dog
of war chose to became a dog of peace.
Now Nubs has a name and a person to call his own.
And he shares the friendship and love he found with everyone he meets.
BUT NUBS SAVES HIS BEST KISSES FOR
HIS BEST BUDDY BRIAN..............
INCREDIBLE!!!NUBS IS A VERY LUCKY DOG."
AND BRIAN TOO""""
EVERYONE HAVE TO CARE OUR PETS.
This story gives us the example that the animals are so human and sometimes more than some of us.
