On their third day defending a hilltop in a major Taliban-controlled area, a unit of American soldiers were on a patrol in a nearby village. They found a nine-week-old puppy in a bombed-out building. He was shaking, dehydrated, and hungry. He had no tail and no ears. Bear, along with another pup they found called Buddy became the soldier’s number one morale booster when times became tough. With the help of Nowzad with support from local Afghan drivers, Bear and Buddy successfully made the long journey to the US.

As the wife of Bear’s soldier explains: “It is important for the soldiers, the dogs have been through everything with them. We at home have not. That makes it a very strong bond between these soldiers and their adopted dogs. These dogs have helped ease the symptoms of non-critical post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers returning to civilian life.”