After 10 years of fighting in Afghanistan, Sean Laidlaw was sent to Syria and became a bomb disposal expert there.
In February 2018, while on a mission to dispose of homemade bombs in Syria, Sean suddenly heard strange sounds coming from the rubble of a bombed school. When he looked under the concrete slabs, he spotted a frightened puppy next to four other dead dogs.
Without thinking, Sean took the puppy back to his barracks and named the dog Barrie. Since then, a special bond has been formed between the brave soldier and the little dog. Barrie is by Sean’s side at all times, from the moment he wakes up, to eat, even when he works or drives. Sean made Barrie a necklace from a bulletproof vest and a teddy bear.
Maybe to everyone, Sean is the one to save Barrie, but on the contrary, Sean is very grateful to this 4-legged friend because Barrie is not only a companion, but it also helps Sean temporarily forget the fierceness of his life. war. Keeping the dog by his side made him happier and helped him overcome Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is one of the serious emotional effects that war has on soldiers.
“The boys in Syria love to play and coach Barrie. If anyone is unhappy or having a bad day, it will come and sit on their lap,” Sean told This Morning.
However, Sean had to part ways with Barrie when he returned to the UK for a leave of absence in April 2018 and was unable to return to Syria because his work in Syria was cancelled.
In order to bring Barrie to the UK, Sean sought the help of War Paws (based in Iraq) – which helps soldiers serving overseas to find their lost pets. He even set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to bring his adorable puppy to the UK.
Then, the War Paws organization arranged to bring Barrie to Iraq in April 2018. After vaccinating and examining Barrie, they took the dog to Jordan. Here, Barrie was isolated for 2 months before being re-examined.
In October 2018, the idea that Barrie would be moved to England, however, the plan failed due to loss of documents, so it was taken to Paris.
Finally, on November 3, 2018, Sean’s wish was granted after he sat on a 12-hour flight from Essex to Paris to reunite with Barrie at Charles de Gaulle airport after 7 months of not seeing each other.
Sean was overjoyed to see his 4-legged friend Barrie in Paris again. “The moment I met Barrie at the airport was probably the best moment of my life,” Sean said.
Barrie is no longer a cute little puppy, he has grown a lot. Although after a long time not seeing, Barrie still recognized his owner.