Businessman reunites soldiers, pooches

The spirited brown mutt Sheila Schaffer befriended during her 10-month deployment helped the Iowa National Guard soldier endure her time in harm's way.

So when a Florida businessman offered to help reunite Charlie and 13 other dogs with the American troops who cared for them during combat tours, Schaffer jumped at the chance.

"These dogs are a morale booster for us," Schaffer said Wednesday at Kennedy Airport, where the licking, squirming and barking canines greeted their adoptive soldier friends after a long flight from Afghanistan via London.

"You get soldiers out there who get sad and depressed and are missing home, and having a dog can mean a lot," she said.

The airport reunion was partly the work of a former Royal Marine sergeant from England, who hatched the plan with former Woodmere resident Arthur Benjamin. The men were introduced earlier this fall at a meeting of the Humane Society of the United States.

The Marine, Paul "Pen" Farthing, founded his Nowzad Dogs charity in 2007, after breaking up a dogfighting competition in Afghanistan, and caring for one of the badly injured canine combatants. Since then, his organization has reunited about 250 dogs with soldiers from the United States and other NATO nations.

He and businessman Benjamin, who runs American Dog Rescue, teamed with American Airlines to provide the transportation that brought the dogs and their adoptive soldiers together.

Although the military's General Order 1A, adopted in December 2000, prohibits adopting battle-zone pets, individual soldiers and even whole platoons have taken strays in -- feeding them mess hall leftovers, building makeshift shelters and treating them to chew toys. Military leaders have often looked the other way.

The pets can be a welcome source of emotional relief for war-stressed soldiers, said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joe Berdis, of Massapequa, whose last deployment ended in Iraq in May 2010.

"For some people, it's a comfort factor because they become a known in an unknown situation," said Berdis, who was at the airport Wednesday to show his support.

Schaffer, who holds the rank of specialist, said she found Charlie's mother, Delta, early in her deployment. The dog led her to a litter of seven pups secreted beneath a medic station at the Army installation where Schaffer was stationed.

She chose Charlie as her own, and gave Delta and her remaining offspring to other Iowa National Guard soldiers.

After commanding officers refused to allow her to keep Charlie at the installation, she hid the dog with Norwegian soldiers stationed nearby.

As the end of her deployment neared earlier this year, she steeled herself for the likelihood that she'd have to leave her canine friend behind.

Now she plans to introduce Charlie to Brighton, Iowa.

"I've got you back," the kneeling Schaffer said, pulling her pet close. "You're coming home with me."