A British Army veteran has been reunited with the adorable stray puppy he rescued from the rubble of war-torn Syria.
Sean Laidlaw, a former lance corporal in the Royal Engineers was contracted to remove IEDs (improvised exploding devices) when he discovered 'Barrie' with four dead puppies after he heard whimpering from a the rubble of a bombed school in the city of Isil.
The two quickly struck a special bond and Mr Laidlaw quickly named the pup Barrie before realising she was a bitch. He even credits her with saving his life.
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"I feel like it may come across that I saved Barrie's life, but I feel like she saved mine," he told The Telegraph.
Mr Laidlaw now runs a gym in Essex and in an emotional reunion saw Barrie again for the first time in seven months on Saturday.
"Meeting her at the airport, seeing her in the flesh, was one of the best moments of my life. I've never been so happy," he said.
The pair were separated in April when Mr Laidlaw was returning to the UK and had his contract cancelled.
"I started thinking about how I could bring her back," he said.
Months passed and Barrie grew from a puppy and to a full-grown dog.
"My biggest issue was that I never had that moment with her to say goodbye as when I left I thought I'd see her in a couple weeks," Mr Laidlaw said.
Barrie spent every day with Mr Laidlaw while he was deployed, helping him with jobs and eating dinner with him.
He even made her a bullet-proof vest and said the cute pup helped him overcome his PTSD.
"I think as soon as Barrie and I bonded, where I could pick her up, for me she'd already become my dog.
"Having a companion, is one of the best things to help with PTSD. A dog always makes you happy, always wants to be with you."
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