Iraq dog finds a friend in a US Marine

With a wag of its tail and a colorful US Marines bandanna around its neck, this dog bounded into the San Diego's Lindbergh Field airport on Friday, oblivious to the reporters and cameras present

In late December, Major Dennis found Nubs almost frozen to death in the freezing temperatures. The canine had also been stabbed with a screwdriver. Major Dennis rubbed antibiotic cream on the wound and slept with Nubs to keep him warm. In a letter to his family in the US, he wrote: 'I really expected he would be dead. Somehow he made it through the night. 'In January this year, Major Dennis had to leave Nubs behind as he was not allowed to take it along with him when his unit was ordered back to the command post 104km away. Nubs chased after the Marines Humvee as they departed.

Major Dennis thought that that was the last they had seen of the dog. But two days later, he and a colleague saw Nubs staring back at them. The Major wrote in a letter: 'Somehow that crazy damned dog tracked us. 'But the reunion was short lived. US military policy prohibits having pets in war zones, and the major was given four days to get the dog off the base or kill him. The decision was easy: Nubs was going to San Diego. With help from his Iraqi interpreter, Major Dennis managed to find a Jordanian veterinarian to get the care and paperwork needed to get the dog to the US. He also negotiated the red tape to get Nubs across the border into Jordan. In an e-mail to his friends and family, Major Dennis wrote: 'This dog who had been through a lifetime of fighting, war, abuse... is going to live the good life.' According to Major Dennis' mother Mrs. Marsha Cargo, their family and close friends helped raise the $3,500 ($4,900) needed to get the dog from Amman, Jordan, to San Diego. 'I just can't believe it. Out there in the middle of nowhere these two find each other,' she said. A colleague in San Diego agreed to care for the dog and have it trained until Major Dennis returns in March from Iraq. For now, though, Nubs is finally safe - and waiting for his master to follow him.