A petition for love

Recently, I discovered an article online titled, Soldier Pleas For Pup to Leave Iraq. Naturally, the words pup and plea grabbed my attention. It touched me greatly and I feel it will you as well. So here's the story:

"Five months ago, Sgt. Gwen Beberg and a fellow soldier saved a little black and white puppy from a pile of burning trash in Baghdad. Soon, Beberg will return home to Minnesota and she requested that her beloved dog, Ratchet, return with her. The Army said no, according to Defense Department rules. Worried that Ratchet would not survive the streets of Iraq, or worse yet be decreed a "nuisance" by locals and killed, Beberg's supporters started an online petition urging the Army to reconsider. The petition has already garnered more than 12,000 signatures. Donations to help Ratchet and other Iraqi pups return home with their U.S. soldiers are gratefully accepted at Operation Baghdad Pups."

Being an animal lover and a supporter of our soldiers, I find this extremely disturbing. This soldier saved the animal and cared for him. He was her best friend and a light of hope in a horrible war that seemed endless. Now he is being taken from her, like her freedom was. I also discovered that Sgt. Beberg was forced to stay in Iraq 15 months after fulfilling her commitment due to a stop-loss. She had been forced to stay in that hell hole for over a year longer than she committed to, facing danger and unthinkable events every day. When she found Ratchet, she found a glimpse of hope for herself, her fellow soldiers and perhaps even the rest of the world. To abandon him now is to abandon everything else too.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/clemency-for-ratchet

Please take the time to visit the website and sign this petition and bring Ratchet home to his rightful owner. Five minutes of your day will help to save an animal destined for death in Iraq and bring joy back to a deserving veteran's heart.