Puppy saved from torture in Middle East reaches new home in Pensacola

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Staff Sergeant Nick B. has served in the Army for 13 years.

To some, Nick appears to be a tough, commanding figure. But to Bodhi, an Afghan herding dog, Nick is his savior.

Bodhi was flown into Pensacola Saturday. It's the first time Nick and Bodhi have seen each other in weeks.

"I've missed him so much and just seeing his face and seeing how happy he was to see me was just a great feeling," said Nick.

Nick was on patrol in Afghanistan when he found Bodhi tied up and covered in mud. His ears and half of his tail had been cut off.

"They were going to use him to fight other dogs as entertainment. You could just tell he hadn't been fed properly. He was really skinny and malnourished. When I saw that, it just broke my heart. I knew I had to get this dog out of here," Nick said.

Nick says the damage to one of Bodhi's ears was so significant, scarring left him deaf. An operation was needed to open the dog's ear back up.

Nick says the owners didn't want to give him the dog, so he traded packs of cigarettes for him.

Bodhi and the soldier got to know each other over pieces of beef jerky.

"I went to give him another piece and he licked my hand and then ate it. It was a friendship building process for a little while. Once he realized I was a good guy and I was going to save him, he wouldn't leave my side," said Nick.

He said Bodhi instantly bonded with his unit.

Nick got in touch with the Puppy Rescue Mission, an organization that helps save animals from terrible conditions, to help him get Bodhi to the U.S. 

Bodhi's journey here wasn't easy.

"Sometimes these guys don't make it because of dehydration or heat stroke so I was very adamant that they take him in a car. Another problem with that is the Taliban have strongholds along the way. There are so many possibilities of things going wrong, it really is a miracle," Nick said.

Nick says dogs are treated horribly in Afghanistan and are considered unimportant.

Now, Bodhi's new life can begin.

"It's so much better knowing I saved this dog from a life of eating scraps of trash and not knowing if he's going to be shot," Nick said. "I know his life will be so much better now. He'll have a lot of land to run around on, a pool to play in, a loving family, and he'll be fed properly and bathed. It's an amazing feeling."

If you'd like to help more dogs like Bodhi find a new home, you can donate on the Puppy Rescue Mission website.