Patrick Brady, a US Army from Long Island, New York, felt love at first sight with a puppy he found while serving in Georgia.Patrick brought the dog in the camp and named her Marshmallow.At the end of his deployment, he asked for help from SPCA International to fly his fluffy buddy to New York, his 5,000-miles-away home.“I just fell in love with her right away.”

This is how Patrick Brady, a US Army from Long Island, New York, described to Today his first encounter with a furry dog he met while serving in the country of Georgia.When he heard someone said, “There’s a puppy outside,” Patrick took a break, headed outside to check and saw a fluffy white-and-tan puppy.He started to pet the dog, feed her, and even take her to a vet for vaccines and clean-ups. Patrick named her Marshmallow, who quickly became famous among the troops.

A week after she arrived, Marshmallow disappeared for a few days. Patrick was terrified thinking that he lost her forever, but luckily, Marshmallow came back a few days later.

“I guess she liked where she was on the base so she came back to us, thank God,” Patrick said. “She was completely filthy — covered in mud — which was probably foreshadowing because later on, I found out she just loved to get dirty whenever she possibly could.”

Feeling he couldn’t leave Marshmallow after his deployment, Patrick contacted SPCA International. Its Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program helped him in making arrangements to fly Marshmallow home.

It was a long process that didn’t go smoothly. On the day of their flight, Patrick learned that his dog’s crate wasn’t quite meeting the standard. He had to ask for clearance to use zip ties, instead of a particular type of plastic screw, to secure Marshmallow’s carrier.

All the efforts paid off, when Marshmallow finally got on board. Patrick, as well as the rescue worker, got emotional upon hearing the good news.

“As uncharacteristic as it might sound, we both broke down and started to cry a little bit because it was so stressful,” he explained. “After all these months of uncertainty and everything, finally just seeing her board the plane, I couldn’t explain the kind of feeling that I had. It was just the happiest feeling.”

Upon arrival, Patrick had to be quarantined in a North Carolina military base as a COVID-19 protocol. Marshmallow then already stayed at his parent’s house.

Marshmallow fit right in his family, as well as with Bear, the family’s dog.

Patrick feels very grateful to the rescue organizations who helped him in bringing his snuggle buddy home. For him, SPCA International is an “amazing organization.”

Now, Patrick and Marshmallow are already home together, with Marshmallow usually resting on his couch or playing outside. Patrick said Marshmallow “just seems very happy all the time.”

Good dog, Marshmallow. Good dog.