I (heart) Nubs!

i wonder if sabi will get a book

Bomb-sniffing dog missing in Afghanistan is found after 14 months
November 16, 2009



A bomb-sniffing dog that disappeared during a fierce battle in Afghanistan between Australian troops and militant fighters has been found and returned to its unit after more than a year.

And Sabi the black Labrador is getting a celebrity welcome home.

Sabi was with a joint Australian-Afghan army patrol ambushed in restive Uruzgan province in September 2008, triggering a gunfight that wounded nine troops and earned one Australian soldier the country's highest bravery medal.

But there was no sign of Sabi after the battle, and months of searching failed to find any sign of the retriever -- until now.

Military officials said Thursday that a U.S. soldier recovered Sabi at an isolated patrol base elsewhere in Uruzgan. Details about the base were not given.

The dog was returned to the Australians' base in the province just in time for a visit by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who was photographed Wednesday along with the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, petting Sabi.

"Sabi is back home in one piece and is a genuinely nice pooch as well," Rudd told reporters.

Exactly where Sabi has been or what happened to her during the 14 months will probably never be known, though her good condition indicates that somebody had been looking after her, military spokesman Brig. Brian Dawson told reporters in Canberra.

The dog was being tested for diseases before a decision was made on whether she can return to Australia.

More than 1,500 Australian troops are in Afghanistan, and most are involved in training Afghan security forces. Among them are units that use dogs to sniff out roadside bombs and other explosives.

-- Associated Press

Photo: Sabi at Forward Operating Base Ripley in Tarin Kowt, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 11. Credit: Andrew Mearse / Associated Press



there has been some controversy about the story regarding the timing of it's release,apparently the dog had been back at the base for about two weeks before the ADF released the story to coincide with November 11 and the visit of the Australian Prime Minister to Afghanistan, not a big deal in my opinion, the real story is the dogs survival

Thanks for sharing boomerang.

I think it's kind of funny though ... poor Nubs is getting frustrated throughout the entire interview as he's trying clean the proverbial down there and his owner keeps stopping him.

Sabi don't need no stinking ghost writer. Sabi, I hear, is such a student of the age of Enlightenment.

I love Nubs, too. The marine, with his legs wide open and his shlong outline showing, is that like a macho guy thing?

Thank you for this. I have to get this book for my daughter - not only are we dog lovers, but we have a Marine in the house. How very appropriate.

You'll all just love it, Linkat!

I'm going back to buy several copies to send out as Christmas gifts.

My brother is in the Army and Mo is infatuated with all things military so I'm always on the lookout for stories about soldiers that aren't necessarily about war and fighting and killing and bombs and such things.

yep this is going to be a Christmas present for my 1st grader and my 5th grader will be getting a book on a manatee - she loves them.

We are reading this book now - and it is great! Haven't gotten to the end yet - will do tonight.