Ratchet has landed

Ratchet, the black puppy who was rescued from the streets of Iraq by a U.S. soldier, arrived in Virginia today wearing a red, white and blue bandanna -- and a tail that couldn't stop wagging.

According to an AP story from the Idaho Statesman, Ratchet "jumped out of his crate and wagged his tail at the airport, three flights and two days after leaving Iraq en route to his new home with a U.S. soldier."

Rachet, wearing a dog-bone-shaped collar with his name, will spend two nights in a kennel before flying to Minneapolis where (Army Spc. Gwen) Beberg's parents will pick him up. Beberg (who said she could not have made it through her 13-month deployment without Ratchet) is scheduled to return home from Iraq next month.

"I'm very excited that Ratchet will be waiting for me when I get home from Iraq! Words can't describe it," Beberg said in an e-mail to friends and family. "I hope that Ratchet's story will inspire people to continue the efforts to bring more service members' animals home from Iraq and Afghanistan."

The dog was rescued by Baghdad Pups, run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International. The group, which has now brought 63 animals to the U.S., says the effort both saves dogs and cats and helps soldiers who benefit from the bond with the animals.

 

 Ratchet rests after arriving at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va. on Monday. Thousands of people were involved in an international effort to help the dog come to the United States.

AP Photo

**** If you like this story, you can now buy T-shirts and other products at a site called

Saving Private Ratchet. Proceeds go to the SPCA. (H/T: Dogster )

Previously: Ratchet's going home;   Ratchet bumped to standby;