Syria was in a state of intense conflict when Danny Rindone, an army veteran, was deployed there. He witnessed the bleak condition of the dogs who were scavenging for food most of the time. Some of the strays managed to find where Danny was staying. They hung around because the soldiers gave them scraps of food.
One of the dogs caught Danny’s attention. She was thin and dirty, but there was something about her that tugged at Danny’s heart. He would spend his free time looking for her and helping her. He learned more about her and started calling her Syri.
Syria was a dismal place, and Syri was the one who cheered up Danny. He wanted to do something for her, so he reached out to an animal protection organization called SCPA International to inquire how to get a dog home to the United States. Meredith Ayan, the executive director of SCPA International, gathered from Danny’s letter that Syri meant a lot to him, so the organization set out to help Syri and the other puppies get out of Syria.
Danny was confident that he would see Syri in no time at all when he left her at Erbil, Iraq under SCPA’s care. Unfortunately, when Syri’s vaccinations and paperwork were done, the Erbil Airport ceased operations. The airport did not reopen, so Syri ended up staying at SCPA for four months. Danny kept asking for updates and pictures of Syri.
SCPA finally got a flight out of Iraq, and Syri had to travel for more than 24 hours. When Danny picked her up at the airport, she was very tired. It took her a while to recognize Danny, but when she did, it was a very sweet reunion.
Syri was having a grand time living in New York City. It was an entirely different place from where she grew up. She enjoyed the snow and explored every corner of Central Park.
Syri became an ambassador for SCPAI because Danny wanted to help more people and dogs get connected. He wanted to pay it forward by advocating for saving the dogs in Syria.
Source: The Dodo via YouTube