Peggy and 19 other pups have finally been reunited with the military service members who adopted them while serving overseas. These dogs’ journeys were delayed by CDC rules that restricted the import of animals from over 100 countries for a year.
Though the CDC has recently eased the restrictions, SPCA International had implemented creative procedures to reunite pups with their soldiers. Dogs from the restricted countries were being flown to Canada for a six-month quarantine period before being cleared to travel to the U.S. and their waiting families. This process was complicated and costly.
We are thrilled to share that 20 pups have now made it from Canada to their service members in the U.S. Peggy is just one of them, but her reunion with Marine John Kurulgan warms our hearts.
John had adopted Peggy during a deployment in the Republic of Georgia. She was just a tiny pup and he looked forward to making her part of his family with his fiancée in the U.S. Heartbreakingly, John’s fiancée never got the chance to meet Peggy. While Peggy was stuck in limbo, John’s fiancée was killed in a car accident.
John says that amidst the tragedy, one of the only things he had to look forward to was his reunion with Peggy. Now, a year after they parted, Peggy is home with John and his other pups on Staten Island.
SPCA International’s Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide also rescued Peggy’s siblings and mom for John’s fellow Marines and they are looking forward to getting the pups together for a reunion sometime soon.
