Sergeant Edwin Caba and his fellow soldiers found a stray female dog during their tour of duty in Afghanistan. The troops adopted the dog. The female dog later gave birth to a litter of puppies that the troops adopted also. The men did not just adopt the dogs for the short term. The soldiers brought the animals back to the U. S. when they returned home. While in Afghanistan, the dog went on patrols with the soldiers and anxiously awaited the soldier’s safe return every night. The soldiers named the dog Sheba. The bond that the soldiers developed with the dog was so strong that they sacrificed their own food to feed the dog and her puppies. An animal rescue group in New York called Guardians of Rescue arranged with an animal shelter in Afghanistan to house and feed the dogs during a three month quarantine period. People that heard the story funded the dogs care and flight with their own money. The soldiers contributed their funds as well.

The dogs were shipped to Dubai and finally flow to the United States where their soldier friends anxiously awaited them. After an 8,000 mile journey, the dogs and soldiers were reunited to the cheers of family, well wishers, and members of the Guardians of Rescue. The dogs knew their soldier friends instantly even after a six-month separation. The look on the soldier’s faces is just ecstatic love. All of the dogs will be adopted by their rescuing soldiers. The dogs took a little time getting used to their new homes but eventually settled into being “Americans”.

The dogs allowed the soldiers to achieve a bit of normalcy in the fog of war. The bond between man and dog overcame any language barrier. The solders say that the welcome home from battle every night was the best relief they had during their tour of duty. Caba says that the way Sheba slept with her mouth open was the thing that made him sure that this was the dog for him and gave him the desire to put in the work to bring his dog home with him from war. Caba credits his high school teacher with contacting Guardians of Rescue and arranging funds to get the dogs to the U. S.