Soldiers pet

Chantilly: An Iraqi dog has arrived in his new home in the United States to be with his owner, a US soldier. The dog, Ratchet, has been the object of an online petition urging the US army to let it come home with Sgt. Gwen Beberg from Minneapolis. Thousands signed the petition.Beberg and another soldier rescued the dog from a burning pile of trash in Iraq. Beberg said she did not want to leave Ratchet behind, saying the dog may be killed. "I'm very excited that Ratchet will be waiting for me when I get home from Iraq," Beberg said in an email to family and friends. She is scheduled to return home next month. "I hope that Ratchet's story will inspire people to continue the efforts to bring more service members' animals home from Iraq and Afghanistan," she said.

Ratchet arrived at a Virginia airport on Monday and is spending a night in a kennel on Tuesday before flying to Minneapolis, where Beberg's parents will pick him up. Baghdad Pups coordinator Terri Crisp, who brought Ratchet back from Iraq, said animals adopted by soldiers help them get through difficult times. The military bars troops from caring for pets on duty or taking them home. "I hope Ratchet and his story will lead to some dialogue with the military," Crisp said.