U.S. Navy Couple Chief Petty Officer, Matt Johnson, and Veteran, Coreen Johnson, are responsible for saving two pups while deployed in the Middle East. The two dogs, named Ruby and Sunny were in danger of being separated from the duo after they were informed of their transfer to Japan. "We were just kind of left not knowing what to do," Coreen stated. The military had limited resources to transport the dogs to the new location, which forced the couple to find any way to get the dogs to Japan.
They reached out to Long Island, New York-based nonprofit Paws of War for help. "We don't have children of our own," she added. "These dogs are our family and Paws of War totally understood that," she said. Paws of War was co-founded by Robert Misseri in 2014, and has since brought over 300 cats and dogs to the States after being rescued by U.S. service members. Because the organization knows the struggle of getting animals out of the Middle East, they quickly came up with a plan, and were able to find a flight for the dogs to make the trip to Japan. The whole family is now reunited in their new home. Coreen said, "Now we're so happy," despite the house not being furnished yet. "We don't need our stuff," she said. "We're just happy to have them with us."
The story of Ruby and Sunny joining the family is just as heartfelt as the whole family being united again. Ruby, a small Jack Russell Terrier mix, was unfortunately used as bait in a dogfighting ring. She was discovered by the Johnson's by sticking her head out of a metal fence. They purchased her for only $10 and luckily, brought her to safety.
Sunny was found on the side of the road severely injured, abused, and burned. The Johnsons shared that when they found him, "He had burns on his body. He was hit by a car. His skull was fractured." He was named for his happy personality and kindness, despite the terrible conditions he had lived in.
Robert Misseri is currently working to provide life-long health care to the two dogs. In addition, Paws of War works to "rescue, train and place shelter dogs to serve and provide independence to our veterans and first responders [who] suffer from traumatic effects sustained while serving their country and community. We provide essential and supportive services to our heroes in need." We thank this organization for their incredible work!
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