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There's good news today for Ratchet, the stray Iraqi dog adopted by American soldier Sgt. Gwen Beberg. The dog will be allowed to move to the U.S. and may ship out as early Sunday. As reported earlier, US soldiers in Iraq are not allowed to bring home stray animals and the military initially denied Ratchet's release. The Army reversed its decision after an online petition supporting Ratchet's move to the U.S. gained almost 50,000 signatures and supporters called Congressional offices and Army headquaters on the dog's behalf. Sgt. Beberg, 28, wrote in an email to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, "I am thrilled that Ratchet is going home!" and said she plans on doing a "victory dance" once her dog arrives in Minneapolis. [The Times] More »
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There's an update today on Sgt. Gwen Beberg, the soldier in Iraq fighting the military to let her bring an adopted dog back home to Minnesota. Terri Crisp of Operation Baghdad Pups, an organization that helps place Iraqi animals in U.S. homes, went to Baghdad yesterday to retrieve Ratchet and six other dogs. Though Crisp was allowed to take the other dogs, the military did not clear Ratchet's release; the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International said it would make another attempt to bring him to the U.S. in the next week. In a statement released by SPCA International, Beberg's mother says Ratchet "was the savior of her [daughter's] sanity" in Iraq. "I don't know how my daughter will cope" without the dog, she adds. [CNN] More »
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Sgt. Gwen Beberg is a Minnesota soldier serving in Iraq who is determined to bring her adopted Iraqi dog, Ratchet, home with her next month. So far, more than 10,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Army to let Beberg keep the canine. In addition, the program coordinator for Operation Baghdad Pups, an organization that helps place Iraqi dogs and cats in U.S. homes, is scheduled to arrive in Baghdad on Wednesday to convince the Army to let Beberg keep Ratchet. Beberg had rescued Ratchet from a burning pile of trash in May; at the moment, the two are separated due to Ratchet's move to a different post in the country. [CNN] More »
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