‘The animals Peter loved are safe’

February 8, 2008 : 12:59 PM ET

Two homeless Iraqi dogs – Mama and Boris – are now safely on American soil thanks to the efforts of a soldier\’s family, a U.S. senator, and the Best Friends rapid response team.

Sgt. Peter Neesley, on his second tour of duty with the U.S. Army, began feeding a mama dog and her two puppies when he patrolled a Baghdad neighborhood. After one of the puppies was hit by a car and killed, Peter built them a red-and-white doghouse – equipped with blankets, a mattress and an Army insignia above the door. He lured the mama dog and her remaining puppy to the doghouse, which he placed just outside the military base wall.

And then he e-mailed his family, sending them photos of the black Lab mix and her white-and-brown spotted puppy, and said he\’d decided to fly the dogs home when he returned to the states in six months.

\”Our family has always had dogs or cats and other little critters,\” says his sister, Carey Neesley. \”Peter was always bringing strays home.\”

But on Christmas Day, Peter, just 28, died in his sleep in his barracks (no cause of death has been released) before he could send the dogs home. His soldier friends continued to feed Mama and Boris and watch out for them.

And for Peter\’s 10-year-old nephew, Patrick, having Peter\’s dogs will help him through his grief. \”Peter was like a father to Patrick,\” Carey says. \”He won\’t have his Uncle Peter to call anymore, but he has his dogs to take for walks. It will be good for him.\”

Written by Cathy Scott
Photos of Peter and his dogs compliments of the Neesley family.
Photos of Rich Crook and dogs by Molly Wald