MATTAWAN, Mich., (May 28, 2014) A West Michigan soldier hoping to be reunited with the military dog he served with in Afghanistan is now one step closer after an online push from family for help.
Mattawan native Staff Sgt. Andy Wolf first met his partner Iras when he was sent to Germany and assigned to the K-9 unit. Their bond since that day unbreakable.
Iras and Wolf were deployed to Afghanistan twice, going on missions where they looked for IEDs.
Family member say Iras is the reason Wolf was able to get back safely to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he is now stationed.
Iras, despite having to have emergency surgery before his second deployment, always stood by Wolf’s side. Iras is now retired from active duty and still in Germany, that’s when Wolf’s brother Joe set up a ‘GoFundMe’ account to get Iras back to his forever home.
In just days that account took off, raising more than $3,000 and Tuesday night the group Mission K-9 Rescue stepped forward to cover the cost of flying Iras home.
“I also think Iras saved my brother’s life more than what my brother did for him and I think that’s a bond words can’t explain,” said Joe. “If we can give this dog a retirement where the stress of his life and he can live out his life in a stress-free environment and enjoy, that’s what we owe him.”
Iras is scheduled to be reunited with Wolf in about two weeks. His brother says the money raised is now going towards covering the cost of building a kennel and future medical expenses.
For more information about their story: http://www.gofundme.com/Bring-Iras-Home
