A Soldier, His Dog and a Long recovery

Long Island Girl sends me notice of this amazing story about a Soldier and his dog reunited after being seperated by a war and nearly 4000 miles.

Soldier's source of hope
John Shaubach, an Alaskan veteran struggling with PTSD, was reunited with a long-lost dog.
By JEFF FRANTZ Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Launched: 10/12/2008 01:31:37 AM EDT

On Friday, Sarha Shaubach made the hour-long drive from her Wasilla, Alaska, home to the Anchorage airport by herself.

The winding road between the mountains carries too strong a reminder of convoys through Afghanistan for her husband, John Shaubach, a veteran suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Sarha brought her husband's hunting jacket with her.

When she reached the kennel crate, Sarha put the jacket against the door. The bone-thin black lab inside sniffed the jacket and jumped.

Zeus knew he was almost home.

~~~

Three weeks ago, Rick Saunders was parked on the side of the road in Southern Pines, N.C., when a black Lab trotted over.

He had a mangy coat, Saunders said in a telephone interview, and his ribs stuck out. It was clear he had been living outdoors for quite a long time. After failing to find the dog's owner, Saunders took it to the vet.

That's how Saunders learned a previous owner had implanted a chip in the dog's neck. The veterinarian didn't have a current address or phone number for that owner, John Shaubach.

After a Google search, Saunders found a news story about John's service and difficulties. Southern Pines is near Ft. Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne, Saunders thought. After a few phone calls, the Shaubachs had a message waiting for them.

Grab some tissues and Read the Rest...