Ratchet the Iraqi pup arrives in Minn., takes nap

[October 23, 2008]  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- After a long, exhausting trip, Ratchet the 6-month-old Iraqi puppy arrived in Minnesota -- and promptly took a nap near the baggage claim at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Ratchet left Baghdad on Sunday, and flew from a Washington airport to Minneapolis on Wednesday.

His new owner, Army Spc. Gwen Beberg, had been trying to get Ratchet home for weeks. Beberg and another soldier rescued the dog from a burning pile of trash in May.

The military bars troops from caring for pets on duty or from taking them home. But Beberg has said she couldn't have made it through her 13-month deployment without the pup.

Beberg is due to leave Iraq next month.

[Associated Press]

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