SPC Devyn Parr and his dog Tiifu.
Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
A Nineveh man who returned from active duty in February was reunited with a pup he fell in love with overseas on Wednesday.
Local soldier SPC Devyn Parr is one of five Hoosier veterans reunited with puppies they rescued while serving on a military base in Africa. Dubbed “The Fab Five,” the puppies were reunited with their U.S. Army soldier caretakers on Wednesday in a ceremony held at the Hampton Inn in Shelbyville. Along with Parr, soldiers from Schererville, Cloverdale, Roachdale and Shelbyville gave the Fab Five forever homes across Indiana.
With help from Paws of War, an organization that helps soldiers reunite with beloved animals they met overseas, it was the first time the soldiers had seen the puppies since coming home in January. The soldiers took the puppies home to be their forever homes.
The soldiers met the puppies after a stray dog gave birth at the military base. After their mother disappeared, they knew they had to do something; they quickly went into action caring for the dogs, feeding them scraps and playing with them in their free time.
Through the efforts of Paws of War and many others, the puppies traveled in crates. It was a long journey with transportation by donkey, boats and pushcarts from Africa to Indiana. The journey was “lengthy” and “dangerous” and somewhat of a miracle, according to Paws of War.
Parr is excited to be taking his dog Tiifu home to Nineveh. Parr said Tiifu has grown so much since he last saw her. She used to be able to fit in his hands and playtime was limited to tug of war with an old piece of rope because of her size.
When Parr heard there were puppies on the base, he ran to the airfield to meet them. They had found shelter underneath a porch. When he got there, Tiifu was the last dog available for adoption, and coincidentally his favorite.
“She’s a runt,” Parr said. “Runts make the best dogs.”
Parr’s mom, Shellie Parr, said the pup came to her son at just the right time. The dogs showed up about six months into their nine-month deployment and gave the soldiers something to look forward to while away from their families.
“The point in their deployment when they found the puppies, I think they needed a little bit of encouragement so it kind of uplifted their spirits,” Shellie Parr said. “So the fact that they could have that connection to that time, their friends.”
Taking care of the puppies gave him something to look forward to each day, Parr said.
“It was definitely nice having an escape to go down and play with the puppies,” he said.
Parr was hopeful when he came home in February that he would see Tiifu again. But, with the long journey, there were no guarantees.
When the chance came up to adopt her, Parr talked with his mom had no hesitation.
“Whatever you need,” she told her son.
The excitement to see Tiifu again has been brewing for nearly a week, he said. Seeing her come through the door and seeing how much she’s grown made the anticipation worth it for Parr.
Tiifu received some veterinary care and training through Paws of War, she has a bad hip and may need surgery to fix it. Parr took Tiifu in knowing she may need some extra care because he wasn’t sure she would have survived on the base.
Parr and his family are looking forward to Tiifu adjusting at her new home in Nineveh with their two other dogs.
