Jay Kopelman and Lava in Iraq.

By Carly Ikuma

You have to be pretty tough to resist a puppy's face. Even U.S. Marines, among the most highly-trained and battle-hardened combatants in the world, can't always manage.

Lava, an orphaned dog, started his long journey to the United States at an abandoned house in Fallujah, Iraq—one of the most dangerous cities on Earth during the 2004 invasion by U.S. forces. When they arrived in Fallujah in November 2004, the last thing Lt. Col Jay Kopelman and the Marines of 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment expected to find was a tiny puppy in the rubble, wagging his tail. But Lava soon proved to be a light shining through the darkness of the conflict.

Update

Jay has published a second book, "From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava," for which Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle wrote the foreword. Read Wayne's blog about the book and the issues.

Kopelman's best-selling book, "From Baghdad, With Love," is more than a war memoir; it also chronicles the events that eventually brought Lava to the United States, though U.S. service members are strictly forbidden by General Order 1A (GO-1A) from keeping pets. GO-1A is intended to keep soldiers from becoming distracted and military bases free of zoonotic diseases, but the regulation ultimately breaks the hearts of many troops who feel strongly that their adopted cats and dogs are morale-boosting companions.

Humane Society International has heard from many U.S. soldiers hoping to bring their adopted companions home from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other conflict zones. Some soldiers have never had pets before adopting a stray, and many say these animals have changed their lives. Each email, letter or phone call HSI receives conveys an urgency that makes the case for changes—reasonable ones—to GO-1A. In 2005 and earlier this year, HSI offered to help set up a workable situation that would allow responsible soldiers to keep their pets and to bring them home to the United States at the completion of the soldiers' tours. Vaccinations and sterilization would be mandatory for the animals.

Kopelman acknowledges that the actions he took to get Lava home might have broken some rules, but he also points out that many of the honorable men and women serving in today's military would gladly go above and beyond to save their animals. He believes the military should allow pets when conditions exist that don't jeopardize the troops.

"An acceptable level could work," he says. "Everyone knows troops keep pets, but some [higher officials] choose to look the other way because they know how important these animals are to the soldiers. There were even two colonels on the Marine base who would put bowls of food and water out for these stray cats."

Currently, few options for getting animals out of Iraq exist. Pam Constable, who directs the Afghan Stray Animal League, provides advice for soldiers in Afghanistan who find themselves in the same bind as Kopelman. But in Iraq, Kopelman says, it's the network of people that makes it work. Sometimes the care of the animal will pass from unit to unit as caretakers are sent back to the United States.

"Someone will always take care of them," Kopelman says. He himself relied on a network of press correspondents, fellow Marines and private contractors to get Lava out of Iraq.

The war in Iraq has produced heartbreaking stories of soldiers shooting strays on orders from their superiors and troops having to humanely euthanize their much-loved pets with overdoses of morphine to spare them from a bullet, abandonment or starvation.

There are also happy stories. Military Mascots (Service members: Please email using your .MIL email address), an organization dedicated to helping service members and their pets, has sometimes been able to help troops bring their animals to the United States. Though it's costly and difficult, it is easy to see from the photos of smiling soldiers and their animal companions on their website why Military Mascots takes on this task.

Kopelman advises soldiers hoping to bring their pets back with them: "Don't give up, plan ahead and understand that there might be disappointments along the way. I lived in fear every day that something would happen to Lava. Just be prepared."

Americans back home can certainly help too, says Kopelman. Writing letters to your congressional representatives is a great place to start. You can also write to the Department of Defense. Ask that GO-1A be responsibly modified with guidance from HSI. The military is aware of these pets, Kopelman explains. They just don't consider them a priority, even though the animals no doubt provide comfort to soldiers in hard situations.

"Lava was a hit—a huge stress reliever. Everyone loved taking care of him," Kopelman says. "These Marines are tough guys, but they have soft hearts for these animals."