A lot of soldiers deployed overseas meet new friends along the way. And sometimes, these friends are actually dogs!
Befriending and taking care of pooches certainly help servicemen deal with homesickness. But the sad part is when the soldiers will have to return home. Often, the dogs are left behind, as transporting them to another country requires a lot of paperwork and money.
One soldier, however, receives the surprise of his life. What is it? Read this heartwarming story to find out!
Stumbling upon a familiar pup at home
AJ Ferraro, a U.S. Army Captain was able to wrap up his service two months earlier than anticipated. But this was not the only good thing that awaited him.
AJ told a local news outlet that he didn’t tell anyone about him going home earlier than expected. He wanted to surprise his family, so he enlisted the help of his best friend.
And when AJ got home, his mother started crying. However, little did the captain know, his mother and father had a dog with them, waiting to see AJ. That dog was Pagunda.
AJ met Pagunda in Afghanistan. The dog was actually in the process of being adopted. When AJ saw the dog at the door aggressively wagging his tail, he said that he just lost it — he was overwhelmed!
How AJ got to meet Pagunda
AJ got to meet the dog through an organization named Nowzad. The said group rescues animals in Afghanistan, even helping them find new families. Often, these new families are actually soldiers.
The organization informed AJ that Pagunda was probably injured or was part of a car accident. This must have been the reason AJ, decided to adopt the pup.
AJ said that he was thankful that his mom managed to get Pagunda to the U.S. On the other hand, AJ’s mom Carol was just glad that his son was home safe. She said that she was proud of his son.
Video Source: WPRI via YouTube