# Soldier wins battle to bring stray puppy Smudge back from Afghanistan



## testmg80 (Jul 28, 2008)

A British army soldier was so smitten with a puppy he befriended in Afghanistan that he has spent a year bringing her home with him.
The young pup named Smudge was born to a stray pack of dogs that roamed around Corporal Ashley Phillips camp in Helmand Province.
The 22-year-old was won over by the mongrel as her tongue was always poking out of her mouth because it was too big.

Corporal Phillips, a medic with the Royal Army Medical Corps, decided he wanted to have her as a pet and started a year long process to have her flown to Britain.
Smudge has spent the last six months in quarantine at kennels in Surrey and Corporal Phillips today completed her incredible journey by taking her home for the first time.
The one-year-old dog, who has a white coat with a brown patch over one eye, is being looked after by Corporal Phillips, his fiancee Emma Kirk and his mother Nicky Phillips at their home in Bournemouth, Dorset.
The soldier said: She looks really fit and healthy and seems to love her new home. Its great to have her here after a year of waiting.
She was quite skinny when she first arrived in the UK in February but has put on a lot of weight and has a really healthy coat.
Hopefully she will like living here and will become one of the family. 
Smudge was one of a litter on nine stray puppies who was set for a life on the streets. 
In Afghanistan, dogs which are no good for fighting are just left to look after themselves.
Corporal Phillips said: I have been out on three tours to Afghanistan and the last time I was there was when I met Smudge.

She was the smallest one of the litter and her tongue was too big for her mouth so it always hanged out and looked like she was poking her tongue out at you.
I gave her a name and looked after her and when I had to come home two months later last November I vowed to bring her back with me.
I found out there was a charity that did that sort of thing and they arranged for Smudge to fly over.
She arrived earlier this year and has spent six months in quarantine.
I visited her three times while she was there and she has gone from strength to strength.
She is a very mellow and loving dog, quite chilled out. She would have been no good as a fighting dog.
She is getting quite big and although I was told she was a collie-cross, I think shes too big for that. Perhaps theres a bit of Afghan hound in her. 
He said Smudge will be able to run free in the Dorset countryside behind her new home.
Corporal Phillips will this weekend carry out a 30-mile bike ride and five mile run to raise money for the charity Nowzad Dogs, which helped bring Smudge a better life.







Best friends: Corporal Ashley Phillips with Smudge at her new home in Britain







Smitten: Corporal Phillips loves Smudge because her tongue always hangs out

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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

So nice to hear of a happy ending
Hope Smudge has a long and happy life here in the UK.


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## sarahberra (Jun 26, 2009)

That is the sweetest story. Cute pics too.


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## Nathan91 (Aug 17, 2009)

Such a lovely story! Smudge is so cute.


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## hazel pritchard (Jun 28, 2009)

Recently i met a lady out with a young dog she told me his name is Arnham Her son found him as a pup in Afghanistan while he was serving there and sorted out things so the pup could come back to uk,this pup was really great
God Bless all troops out there


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## Nicky09 (Feb 26, 2009)

I read that its a great story such a gorgeous pup too.


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

what a heartwarming story


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