Marine reunited with dog he rescued in Iraq

By: CANDICE REED - For the North County Times | Monday, April 4, 2005 9:14 PM PDT ∞

RANCHO SANTA FE ---- He was just a small, homeless pup that brought smiles to Marines at Camp Fallujah in Iraq as he stumbled around with his four oversized paws and silly doggy grin.

On Monday, the dog known now as "Lava" was reunited at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe with one of his rescuers, Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman, a U.S. Marine reservist with the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

"His name should probably be changed from Lava to Lucky because if you go from Fallujah to Rancho Santa Fe you're a pretty lucky dog," said Kopelman, who lives in La Jolla. "But I want to honor the guys who found her and fought alongside of me."

The Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, otherwise known as the Lava Dogs, found the 6-week-old puppy ---- described by Kopelman and animal center officials as a mix of husky and shepherd ---- in an abandoned house they were using as a temporary base camp.

They named the puppy after their unit, but Kopelman eventually became the dog's keeper and began making plans to send the dog home.

"I wrote to my fiancee and asked her if we could keep the dog after I already promised the guys I would take care of it," said Kopelman, who volunteered for active duty after Sept. 11, 2001. "I think it was a lot of false bravado on my part because I really didn't know how I would get him back to the States."

Officials at Helen Woodward Animal Center stepped in to help by contacting various veterinarians in Iraq, embedded reporters and Iraqi citizens to help make arrangements for the dog's vaccinations and "doggie passport" paperwork.

The center and the Iams pet food company then contacted the owners of Vohn Liche Kennels in Indiana that trains dogs and handlers to work with the military and coalition forces in Iraq to help Lava complete his paperwork and get him to his new country.Ý

"We just so happened to be having our 'Iams Home 4 the Holidays' pet adoption drive, and everyone involved accepted the challenge to bring Lava home," said John Van Zante, spokesman for the center. "Last Saturday, Lava spent more than 20 hours traveling before he set paw on U.S. soil, but it looks like he's a healthy and happy dog.

Lava did look like a happy dog as he bounced on the lawn at the animal center, performing a couple of tricks for treats and being cute for his new owners, Kopelman and fiancee Ellen Stiefler.

"When he called me around the holidays I was so happy and relieved to hear that he was safe," Stiefler of Rancho Santa Fe said as she hugged the squirming dog. "I didn't expect him to be bringing home a dog, but I'm overjoyed. The more the merrier."

Ý Candice Reed is a freelance writer. You may contact her at femmewriter@cox.net.