Some American heroes recently saved a mother dog and her pups from a harrowing situation — but that’s not the tip of the story.
A bunch of U.S. Army soldiers deployed to the Middle East befriended a pregnant stray dog named Meatball, because the Recent York-based nonprofit Paws of War told Fox News Digital in an email.
The soon-to-be mama dog had dug beneath a shipping container on the soldiers’ military base in quest of a spot to present birth to her puppies.
The soldiers found her there — and nurtured her with food and water as she delivered eight puppies.
Shortly after Meatball gave birth, a rare ice storm hit, filling the dogs’ den with hail and sludge.
The soldiers intervened.
They saved Meatball and her pups from the weather, scooping up the animals and taking them to a warm, protected space to recuperate.
Caring for Meatball and her young pups gave the soldiers “something positive to give attention to” while they were far-off from home, said Paws of War — and the soldiers formed bonds with each of the puppies in the method.
Now, US Army Staff Sgt. Rickly and fellow soldiers who watched over the dogs in a precarious situation are hoping to ship them out of harm’s way — and get them to safety in America.
From “the skin looking in, you would possibly think I saved these puppies, but in so some ways, the pups and Meatball saved me, too,” Rickly wrote in an announcement provided to Fox News Digital by Paws of War.
“When things back home took a turn for the more serious, I became sad being thus far away and it was hard to remain focused,” the soldier continued.
“Making it my mission to make sure … that every of the pups has a loving without end home, and caring for them, has given me great comfort during difficult times,” the soldier also said.
“I feel they were born under my look ahead to a reason.”
The team reached out to Paws of War through the War-Torn Pups and Cats program to make sure the protection of the pups before their deployment ends.
“Without the soldiers, Meatball’s babies would have died,” the organization wrote.
“And the heart-wrenching reality is that when their heroes are gone, they won’t make it long alone.”
Rickly added, “What is going to occur to them next scares me in the event that they usually are not capable of make it to safety.”
“Because the day they were born, they’ve been taken care of, they usually don’t know what suffering awaits them in the event that they must fend for themselves,” the soldier also said.
Within the Middle East, dogs are viewed as “vermin” and are routinely abused, Paws of War reported.
“We made a commitment to assist every hero we are able to to avoid wasting the lifetime of an animal they love,” said Robert Misseri, co-founder and president of Paws of War, in an announcement provided to Fox News Digital.
“The story of Meatball and her pups is an example of how much these animals matter to our energetic military and the life-saving difference we are able to make for those animals who grow to be family to them,” he also said.
He added, “We’re doing the whole lot we are able to to make sure this mission to bring them to America and back to their soldiers’ sides has a comfortable ending.”
The organization notes on its website, “We love getting these precious dogs and cats safely to the US. The overseas horrors bestowed upon animals is atrocious. Leaving them behind is heartbreaking and devastating for our military members.”
Paws of War accepts donations to rescue animals from areas where they’re in peril.
For more information, anyone can visit pawsofwar.org.
