Paws Of War

War is hell. And puppies are swell.

Take one-year-old Harley, who became best friend to a team of U.S. servicemen during their recent stint inside a Middle East combat zone. When Amjad Kerrish and his fellow Air National Guard fighters were shipping out, they were too enamored of Harley to leave the dog behind. But a paperwork snafu left Harley in limbo, with the lovable rescue pooch now stuck at John F. Kennedy International Airport awaiting imminent deportation and likely euthanasia if returned to the Middle East. “It breaks my heart, it really does,” said Kirrish, a California firefighter who was battling the state’s raging wildfires when he received word of the snag. “I thought the hardest part of this was over.”

Harley was brought to the United States from Jordan by Paws of War, a Long Island-based organization that matches rescue dogs with American veterans experiencing the emotional effects of war.

For Kirrish, Harley was the source of endless smiles no matter the horrors of life in a war zone — and he vowed the dog would accompany him home when his tour ended this past spring.

“Seeing Harley was the one thing everyone could look forward to at the end of the day,” recalled Kirrish, 30. “All she wanted was love. Love and treats, of course … I knew we couldn’t leave her behind. We had to bring her back home.”

The mission of mercy to get Harley to safety in the U.S. appeared to reach the home stretch last week after Paws of War arranged for the pooch to be flown on a rare repatriation flight. But a paperwork snafu left Harley in limbo. The lovable rescue pooch is now stuck at JFK, still under a federal deportation order and likely euthanized if returned to the Middle East.