How one brave soldier fought to make his "Baghdad Pup" an American Dog
by Julia Szabo
Charlie on patrol in Iraq 2007. Photo by Edward Watson.
When Sergeant Edward "Eddie" Watson first met his dog Charlie, the black-and-white mutt was a tiny, helpless, stray puppy struggling to stay alive in a war-torn country. The year was 2007, and Watson was on duty in Iraq with his team patrolling a neighborhood torn apart by violence and bloodshed. Military regulations prohibit servicemen from keeping dogs as pets, but Watson couldn't turn his back on the defenseless mutt in a war zone, so he and his fellow soldiers took care of him on the QT, and Charlie grew strong and healthy. When it came time for the soldier to return home after a 15-month deployment, Watson had no intention of leaving Charlie behind - and no legal way to bring his new best friend back with him.
So Watson created a weblog about his mission to save his dog, making his wrenching dilemma known on the Worldwide Web with postings that would have melted hearts of stone. Happily, SPCA International provided an assist, initiating a program called "Operation Baghdad Pups," whose mission is to transport dogs like Charlie safely to the United States. Thanks to SPCAI, Charlie touched down on American soil about a month before Watson did, arriving here on February 14th, 2008 - a memorable Valentine's Day indeed. "Charlie is pretty much the poster boy of Operation Baghdad Pups," Watson says with pride.
Fittingly, America's capital was the first leg of Charlie's journey to becoming an American citizen. In Washington, DC, Charlie was fostered by a kind volunteer until the day he was reunited with his sergeant. Today, the military man and his faithful friend live together in Arizona, where Watson is studying to be a nurse. He and his fiancee Melissa Andrews also share a 7-year-old Chihuahua named Billie Jean; the canine odd couple are great friends.
To guess by his appearance and demeanor, Charlie is a good part Border Collie, which means he has intelligence and athleticism to spare. To keep his dog gainfully occupied both physically and mentally, Watson wisely enrolled him in agility classes, which the two attend together once a week. He also plans to investigate getting Charlie instinct tested for herding trials, to satisfy his inner sheepdog. It's an interesting reversal: Now that Watson is no longer seeing active duty, his dog seems to be taking up the slack. Agility classes are reminiscent of basic training, in which soldiers are required to navigate an obstacle course, so Charlie's in the army now!
Charlie and Ed in Iraq 2007. Photo by Brandon Bush.
Like all good American dogs, Charlie enjoys going on road trips, and he's a model passenger. "He does great in the car, especially on long trips," Watson says. "He just finds a spot, makes himself comfortable, and lies down the whole time. He's not big on hanging his head out the window - he might put his nose out for maybe a minute. That's how he is with everything: he's a real laid-back and easygoing kind of dog."
So far, Charlie has traveled through North Carolina and San Diego, but for him, there's really no place like home, the Grand Canyon State. Dogs are happiest when they get to spend their lives in a place where the climate matches the one they instinctively know. Some like it cold, like Saint Bernards and Norwegian Elkhounds. But Charlie's comfortable with the heat of his native desert land, so he's happy to live in one of America's hottest regions, where temperatures reach as high as the hundreds. "For the most part, he'll be outside," Watson reports. "He comes inside from time to time, to check up on us and see what we're doing, but he's definitely an outside dog. When we were in Iraq, he lived outside, so that's what he's used to. He's got free range to come in and out of the doggie door, but he definitely likes being outside more."
The desert-like atmosphere of his new home surely helped Charlie transition from "Baghdad Pup" to American Dog. Here's where you'll find this lucky K9 on any given day: chilling out and enjoying the peace of mind that comes from living in the land of the free ... at last.
For more information about the SPCA International or if you would like to make a donation to help transport more pups back to the United States visit: www.spcai.org www.baghdadpups.com
