Posted on 02/08/2009 4:47:49 PM PST by traumer
A U.S. soldier returning to Fayetteville, N.C., from Afghanistan got a surprise welcome from two dogs he saved from starvation while stationed in the war-torn country.
WRAL.com, a FOX affiliate in Raleigh, reports that a charity animal-rescue program run by Internet search engine Dogpile.com reunited Staff Sgt. Daniel Barker with two dogs reportedly rescued by Barker and his fellow soldier, Adam Krause, during their 2008 deployment to Afghanistan.
Barker and Krause found the malnourished puppies abandoned on the streets of Afghanistan and brought them back to their military base, where they named them Jack and Emma, the station reports.
When the soldiers got near the end of their deployment in January, they contacted Dogpile.com after hearing about its work with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Dogpile.com reportedly agreed to pay for the dogs' journey to the U.S. and stay in Customs.
After being delivered to New York City, the puppies were taken to home by Barker's wife, Lisa, who cared for them until the soldiers returned.
"Jack has been Dan's rock over there. When he is out on missions and sees awful things, he comes back to his dog, Jack, and is able to have comfort," Barker's mother-in-law, Janice Rosengren, told the station.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Too cool.
ping
Awesome. Great job by Dogpile.com to save the pups. Use their search engine because they support our soldiers....and their pups. ;-)
Google is the Obama search engine.
How cute
awwww! What a pretty dog. Too bad we don’t see more happy stories like this.
Google provides search results for Dogpile.
There is NOTHING like the unconditional love of a good dog. Well, maybe your kids’ love when they’re really young, but they figure you out for the poser you are soon enough, LOL!
I’ve been BLESSED to have had a few dogs like that in my lifetime: Miss Cinder. Miss Murphy. And now, Miss Lucy. (And ONE cat: Timothy Two-Tone.) :)
Glad this guy is finding some peace, too.
Good Dog! *PAT* *PAT* :)

You look deep into those big, beautiful brown eyes, and nobody's home!
Truly dumb dogs.
Yeah they use Yahoo and Google but i heard google gets no hits credit. I do like how Dogpile helped our soldiers and their pups.
Actually, a peek a poo and a cock a poo...great little team.
Her parents bred Afghan Hounds, and so does she. They sometimes had as many as 15-20 in the kennels behind their house.
None of them had two brain cells to rub together. Dumbest dogs I ever saw.
Awesome story!!! God bless all who were involved in getting those 2 dogs home...
Praise God the soldiers made it home safely as well!
I use their search engine and emailed all my friends!
Awesome. Great job by Dogpile.com to save the pups. Use their search engine because they support our soldiers....and their pups. ;-)
Google is the Obama search engine.
<<<Good point, I have stopped using google, but will default Dogpile! :)
That's fine, but do they provide a bag and a scoop as well? :)
Google is ONE of the search engines Dogpile employs. Google is STILL 0bama’s (ptui) search engine.
Barker. Great name for a guy who saves dogs.
From WRAL
~~~
Search engine reunites Afghan dogs with U.S. soldiers
###
Fayetteville, N.C. A Fayetteville soldier got a boisterous homecoming from a dog he rescued from the war-torn streets of Afghanistan, thanks to a charity animal-rescue program run by Internet search engine Dogpile.com.
Rescued Afghan dog welcomes home soldier
While on patrol, Staff Sgt. Daniel Barker and his fellow soldier, Adam Krause, found two puppies, malnourished and scared.
The soldiers took the dogs back to their base and named them Jack and Emma. The men played with, cared for and bonded with the puppies during the rough months of their deployment, relatives said.
“Jack has been Dan’s rock over there. When he is out on missions and sees awful things, he comes back to his dog, Jack, and is able to have comfort,” Dan Barker’s mother-in-law, Janice Rosengren, said.
“The things these men have to see and deal with truly force them to build a wall around their emotions. Jack has been so therapeutic to my husband and helped him through some of the toughest times,” Dan Barker’s wife, Lisa, said.
The soldiers decided they didn’t want to leave their new furry friends behind when their deployment ended in mid January. However, bringing a dog from Afghanistan to the United States would be an expensive and cumbersome process.
In November, Barker contacted Dogpile.com after hearing about the search engine’s Search & Rescue program, which donates money to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Dogpile.com agreed to pay for Jack and Emma’s trip to America and their stay in customs.
“We feel so fortunate to have played a hand in such an emotional and memorable time for the soldiers, their families and the two puppies,” said Stacy Ybarra, director of corporate giving for Dogpile.com.
After a two-week journey, the puppies arrived in New York City. There to greet them and take them home was Lisa Barker. She got the dogs accustomed to their new country, while Barker and Krause watched their pets by Web cam every day from Afghanistan.
Then, in late January, the men came home to their dogs in Dan Barker’s case, Jack and two Chihuahuas he already owned.
“(Jack’s) doing good. He’s getting more used to my dogs, and they’re starting to play a little bit,” Dan Barker said.
Dogpile.com wants to keep on making such special stories come true, Ybarra said. Every time a user does a search on the site, the company donates a portion of its revenues to the SPCA. By the end of 2009, the company hopes to have donated $1 million.
“Helping provide Jack and Emma safe and loving homes is what the Search & Rescue program is all about,” Ybarra said. “We look forward to continuing to help many more animals in need by donating money through Dogpile searches.”
For Jack and his adopted dad, the future is bright, Lisa Barker said.
“Jack and Daniel have formed a true companionship that I know will continue to grow over the years,” she said. “I promise you Jack will have the most loving home and family a dog could ever ask for.”
http://www.wral.com/news/local/noteworthy/story/4494921/
~~~
***Video
http://www.wral.com/news/local/noteworthy/video/4494922/
BTTT
woof woof Yes please.
DOGS RULE!
Cute pooch and the guy is a hunk.
Glad for the reunion.
Yea.....both of them:-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.