ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - It’s a friendship that started thousands of miles away in the middle of a combat zone.
AJ Ferraro, a captain in the US army, was stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan when he first met puppy Pagunda — a three-legged stray.
“Fell in love immediately,” Ferraro said. “He had three legs and I loved that about him… rough and tumble.”
He found him through the organization Nowzad, a non-profit that works to relieve the suffering of animals in Afghanistan. Due to the pandemic, AJ was only allowed to see Pagunda over Zoom. But eventually, Nowzad’s founder Pen Farthing got him to the base.
“It was amazing,” Ferraro said. “Brought him in through one of the entry control points and he collapsed right in front of me, belly up wanted belly rubs and just the sweetest thing.”
The two were instant friends but, Ferraro’s time overseas was coming to an end.
Knowning how much they loved each other, Ferraro’s parents stepped in to help. Pagunda made it out of Afghanistan and was brought to Ferraro’s parent’s house in early June.
This week Ferraro finally returned home but didn’t tell his parents in the hopes of surprising them. Turns out it was a surprise for all involved.
“Little did I know my parents were working behind the scenes and brought him home weeks before I was set to go home,” he said.
“Ended up surprising, walking in the front door, and low and behold there’s the dog,” Ferraro continued. “I was confused cause I didn’t know if I wanted to hug my mother or if I want to hug the dog first it was just a big hullabaloo. It was just a really nice surprise. She tried to surprise me, I surprised her, it was awesome.”
He says his next mission for him and Pagunda is to turn him from a mountain dog into a beach dog.
For more information on the work Nowzad does, click here.
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