Sean Laidlaw, veteran English soldier and private contractor was working in Syria clearing IEDs and booby traps for the United States when he found Barrie. The Asian Shepard mix puppy was buried in the rubble next to 4 other dead pups when Sean heard its cries. Sean pulled the resilient puppy out of the debris and brought it back to his camp. Initially reluctant to trust him at first, Sean’s determination to care for her eventually won Barrie over. Before he realized it, Sean gave the puppy the name Barrie before realizing that she was a girl, by then the name had stuck. After spending time together they bonded and the two became inseparable over the months.
Unfortunately, the day came when the two had to part ways and it seemed as if their friendship came to a sudden end. Sean had to return to the UK for what was supposed to be a short trip, but he was notified while on his way to the to the airport not to board the flight back to Syria. He later learned that his contract had been canceled. The same surge of determination and love that he had once devoted to her returned to Sean in efforts to get his best friend home. After a flight to bring Barrie to London fell through Sean traveled 12 hours to meet her in Paris, where she had been flown to from Jordan thanks to War Paws.
One of my biggest fears was that she wouldn’t recognize who I was, or that she would be a different dog to the girl I left.” Sean said, “It was pure joy when she realized who I was. She’s exactly as she was back in Syria, it was just great to have my dog again. I’d be willing to travel across the whole world to have Barrie with me.”