British soldiers get four-legged friends fur-ever as freezing pups rescued on Nato exercise
Four stray puppies have been given a new chance at life after being rescued by 4th Regiment Royal Artillery (4 RA) during Exercise Steadfast Dart, Nato's largest exercise of the year.
The soldiers, who are deployed in Smȃrdan, Romania, worked alongside Romanian animal welfare officials to ensure the pups' safety after discovering them abandoned in the harsh winter conditions.
The puppies were discovered abandoned near a training area, where temperatures were dropping to -10°C.
Fearful they wouldn't make it
With nighttime temperatures plunging, the soldiers quickly realised the puppies wouldn't survive without help.
Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Defty, the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant for 4 RA, who will be adopting one of the dogs, described how they first spotted them.
"On arrival to the exercise area, it was quite a barren estate, with loads of adult dogs. Once we were established, we noticed there were four small puppies that had been abandoned," he said.
Although the Army's force health protection policy advises personnel to avoid direct contact with stray animals, WO2 Defty and his team took improvised steps to keep the puppies safe while waiting for official intervention.
"The temperatures here at night were dropping to an average of minus 10, and myself and a couple of others were fearful that the pups would not make it," he explained.
"We did not touch them ourselves, but we put plans into place to make sure they could actually survive.
"At night I put a wind break up for them and built a little shelter. I then contacted the local Romanian animal police, a charity organisation."
We knew they were going to a better home
Once local authorities were involved, the soldiers helped with the rescue effort.
"It was an ordeal catching the pups as they were terrified and hadn't had much human contact, but we knew they were going to a better home, that home being ourselves," WO2 Defty said.
Now, four soldiers – WO2 Defty, Staff Sergeant Curtis, Sergeant Tomkinson and Sergeant Stewart – have begun the formal adoption process.
The puppies, named Luca, Romia, Nala and Willow, will be quarantined in Romania, receive veterinary care and be transported to the UK later this month.
The adoptions are funded by the charity overseeing their care, along with personal donations from the soldiers.
"This is just a small cost to ourselves, but it is not about the donations or the cost – it is about actually giving them a better life," WO2 Defty added.
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