thedrifter
09-23-08, 09:01 AM
Man And Mutt Bonded In Baghdad
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 23, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG - Scrawny but feisty and matted with the dust of war, Kujo's loyalty to his fallen litter mate touched something in Marine Lance Cpl. Matt Kirchgraber.
The two discovered each other this winter on a battle-scarred street in Baghdad.
Kirchgraber, 20, rescued the shivering puppy, and both their lives have changed.
It was freezing that night, Kirchgraber recalled this morning.
"It had snowed the night before," he said. "They said it was the first time it snowed in Baghdad in 120 years."
The puppy, which fit into Kirchgraber's hand, probably would not have made it through the night.
"He was shaking," the Marine said. "I wrapped him in my poncho and a blanket and brought him back."
The shepherd-mix mutt hung on. He was 2, maybe 3 weeks old when Kirchgraber found him during that foot patrol in the war-torn city. The dog he later would name Kujo was lying next to a puppy that had been killed.
The unit was stationed on an Iraqi base, and Kirchgraber took the puppy there. Kirchgraber, who grew up in St. Petersburg, said he got a syringe from the medical unit and fed Kujo water and milk until the dog could eat solid food.
"He was eating what we were eating. Mostly MREs," the Marine said. "Sometimes we got hamburgers and hot dogs, too."
The unit cared for two dogs besides Kujo. They had been taken in by the Marines who were there before Kirchgraber's squad arrived. They served as guard dogs, and Kujo picked up that protective behavior from them.
Kirchgraber sent home photos of himself with Kujo. His fiancee, Adela Vodenicarevic, noticed how happy the Marine looked. She contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has a branch called Baghdad Pups. The group helps animals adopted by troops in Iraq to get veterinary care and transportation to the United States.
"I know that Matt couldn't be more excited to get Kujo home," Vodenicarevic wrote on the Baghdad Pups Web site. "I will never truly know how much Kujo really means to Matt, but I know that I have never seen him go through this much trouble for a dog."
Two weeks later, Kirchgraber came home and he and Kujo were reunited.
There are still issues, he said. Kujo gets agitated with other dogs when Kirchgraber takes him out for a walk. He's enrolled in a dog training program to improve that behavior.
Said Kirchgraber, "He's very protective."
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
Ellie
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 23, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG - Scrawny but feisty and matted with the dust of war, Kujo's loyalty to his fallen litter mate touched something in Marine Lance Cpl. Matt Kirchgraber.
The two discovered each other this winter on a battle-scarred street in Baghdad.
Kirchgraber, 20, rescued the shivering puppy, and both their lives have changed.
It was freezing that night, Kirchgraber recalled this morning.
"It had snowed the night before," he said. "They said it was the first time it snowed in Baghdad in 120 years."
The puppy, which fit into Kirchgraber's hand, probably would not have made it through the night.
"He was shaking," the Marine said. "I wrapped him in my poncho and a blanket and brought him back."
The shepherd-mix mutt hung on. He was 2, maybe 3 weeks old when Kirchgraber found him during that foot patrol in the war-torn city. The dog he later would name Kujo was lying next to a puppy that had been killed.
The unit was stationed on an Iraqi base, and Kirchgraber took the puppy there. Kirchgraber, who grew up in St. Petersburg, said he got a syringe from the medical unit and fed Kujo water and milk until the dog could eat solid food.
"He was eating what we were eating. Mostly MREs," the Marine said. "Sometimes we got hamburgers and hot dogs, too."
The unit cared for two dogs besides Kujo. They had been taken in by the Marines who were there before Kirchgraber's squad arrived. They served as guard dogs, and Kujo picked up that protective behavior from them.
Kirchgraber sent home photos of himself with Kujo. His fiancee, Adela Vodenicarevic, noticed how happy the Marine looked. She contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has a branch called Baghdad Pups. The group helps animals adopted by troops in Iraq to get veterinary care and transportation to the United States.
"I know that Matt couldn't be more excited to get Kujo home," Vodenicarevic wrote on the Baghdad Pups Web site. "I will never truly know how much Kujo really means to Matt, but I know that I have never seen him go through this much trouble for a dog."
Two weeks later, Kirchgraber came home and he and Kujo were reunited.
There are still issues, he said. Kujo gets agitated with other dogs when Kirchgraber takes him out for a walk. He's enrolled in a dog training program to improve that behavior.
Said Kirchgraber, "He's very protective."
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
Ellie