ohmidog!

Ratchet, the rescued Iraqi pup, arrived in the U.S. last week, and here’s the video.

His first stop in Washington is shown above. To see him arriving in Minneapolis, click on this Minneapolis Star-Tribune video.

Ratchet, for two weeks, was the subject of a tug-of-war between a Minnesota soldier in Baghdad and a military that prohibits soldiers from bringing pets home from abroad.

Ratchet was rescued from a burning trash heap by American soldiers in Baghdad and adopted by Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Spring Lake Park.

When Beberg tried to get the seven-month-old border collie mix out of Iraq, and to her parents’ home in Minnesota, with help from Operation Baghdad Pups, an officer confiscated the dog as he was on the way to the airport.

Grateful for the emotional support he gave her, and fearful of what might happen if she left him in Iraq, Beberg posted the story on Facebook. 

A college friend blogged about Ratchet’s situation, posted it on the website Digg, drawing attention to the cause. That led to Internet petitions and almost 69,000 signatures from people around the world. Minnesota’s members of Congress also pressed for the dog’s release.

The votes have been counted, and the results have been announced: The winners of The “My Dog Looks Like Obama or McCain” Dog-Look-Alike Photo Contest are Amore Francine and Ginny Doll.

 
The Obama Look-Alike winner, Amore Francine, is a 52-pound boxer, prone to tilting her head, from Mt. Clemens, MI. The McCain Look-Alike winner, Ginny Doll of Rochester Hills, MI, is a 7-pound Maltese with well-groomed white hair, and what contest organizers called a “relatable, friendly face.”

The winning photos, along with more information about each dog and the contest, are available at Rover411.com, a website that celebrates dogs and their owners.

The dogs were chosen from ten finalists in an online contest. Each week, one dog from each category with the lowest votes was eliminated. Over 4000 votes were received.

All this brings to mind my own comparison of presidential candidates and dog breeds, which appeared on my old Baltimore Sun “Mutts” blog.

For Obama, I chose this one …