War. A three-letter word that has the power to obliterate everything. It tears apart people, families, and friendships. The victims of war are drowned in a constant wave of guilt, regrets, grief, and pain. Even when you are past the war, it doesn't leave you behind. Finding peace again is a challenge. But there are a few lucky people, who find a way to shield themselves from all the pain in the middle of a war. It could be a person they love, a letter from home, a token from a lover or even just a memory. Anything to keep you sane amidst the chaos.
Sean Laidlaw, a 30-year-old British soldier, was stationed in Syria at the beginning of the year 2018. Sean worked as a bomb disposal expert, and as a result, would often find himself in the rubbles of buildings and houses. During one such incident, Sean found himself looking through the remains of a collapsed building to find survivors. Little did he know, while sifting through the debris he is about to discover something that will change his life forever.
It was an early morning in Raqqa, a city in the land of Syria. Sean had just woken up, startled and drenched in sweat, from yet another nightmare. Sleep didn't come easy to him anymore. After spending months in the middle of a war, it was just a matter of when he stops sleeping. And it happened sooner than he had expected. Sean got out of his tent rubbing away the remains of sleep from his eyes.
The horizon had a hue of gold, as the sun was about to rise in the sky. This was the third time in a row that Sean had woken up from a nightmare and was awake way before he is supposed to. Sleep was a foreign affair now, not meant to bring him peace. He missed his home back in England. He didn't wake up to the sounds of gunshots or bombs. He didn't have nightmares all night long.
Sean belonged to the town of Hornchurch in Essex, England. Stating the obvious but life in England was quite different from his life now. They had crisp winters, stormy springs, and disappointing summers. However, the heat he has been surrounded by for the past couple of months made British summers feel not that disappointing. Besides, the weather condition was not his major concern. It was everything else.
Being in the middle of an ongoing war could strip you from the last shreds of your humanity. That was Sean's biggest fear. He didn't want to lose himself amongst the chaos and carnage of the war. And as disturbing as it sounds, Sean was grateful that his primary job involved diffusing bombs. He could be in the middle of everything yet away from the turmoil of it all.
Of course, this didn't mean that he had it easy. Nobody with a functioning brain would assume that a bomb diffuser's job is easy. But if he could say so himself, Sean was one of the best ones. His hands were steady as a rock and so far he has not missed one IED. He somehow always got it right.
Sean was just finishing up with breakfast when he heard a commotion amongst his peers. The mailman was here which means everyone was restless and excited to receive their share of letters and packages. Sean was in no hurry so he stayed put at his bench. It is not that he didn't want to hear from his family, it just took him a lot of courage to reply to those letters.
Sean's parents were waiting for him back home. He was an only child which meant leaving them behind was not easy, to put it lightly. He is the only family they have and being thousands of miles away from them is not easy. But he understood his duties and so did they. And even miles away, his parents were his strength.
The mailman found Sean sitting on a bench with an untouched plate of food in front of him. He passed him a letter and patted his shoulder on his way out. Sean took the letter and put it inside his pocket. He got up and went back to his tent knowing he needed to be alone when he opens it.
Diffusing bombs was tricky but writing letters home was a whole other level of difficulty that Sean didn't like to experience. When he put the pen to the paper it opened up emotions inside of him that he had kept locked away. It made him softer, more vulnerable. But at the same time, he would often find himself re-reading his parent's mud-stained letters, to remind himself to keep going.
Sean decided to save the letter for the night. He didn't want to start his day feeling emotional and longing for home. It was time to be on duty, it was his turn to go out patrolling today with his team. He quickly loaded up his gear and packed his backpack, ready to leave for the day.
Sean and his team were going patrol the area which was about 20 miles from their basecamp. He rushed outside and hopped onto one of the jeeps ready to take off for the day. Each jeep carried a group of five soldiers and a driver. Once everyone was on board, they were ready to head out.
The jeep pulled up leaving behind a cloud of sand. The soldiers got out of the jeep and marched to their assigned areas, their boots crushing the rubble beneath it, and shoulders loaded with backpacks and rifles. The sun was shining brightly at the top of their heads, Sean could feel sweat dripping down his back already.
Sean had just finished his second bottle of water when he heard the familiar sound that sent shivers down his spine. The distant murmurs of fighter planes slowly getting closer. Sean looked up at the sky and spotted a trio of aircraft at the horizon. The dreadful alarm went off sending warning signals to everyone in the area, as the soldiers got into position.
They fall from the sky, one by one, hitting ramparts and houses and blowing them apart swirling the streets around them. Sean could feel the ground beneath him shaking as the light around him goes white for a quick second before the hot air blows across the barriers. The sounds that thunder across the city still managed to drop his heart to the pit of his stomach.
After what felt like hours, but were barely some minutes, the city slowly went silent, just for a second. And then came the sounds which kept Sean up at night, the sound of people crying and searching for their loved ones. The soldiers quickly got out from behind their barriers and rushed to help the people around them.
Sean headed out with his team members to find the nearest affected point. It was a school building that had now been demolished to rubble. Fortunately, from what he could tell, the building was empty. This means no students were harmed. But they still had to be sure, so Sean and his team began to sift through the ruins to see if there is anyone trapped underneath it.
Sean and the fellow soldiers divided and went about the wreckage of the building looking for people who might need their help. The air was thick with dust, soldiers were calling out for people, in hopes to get their attention, to let them know that help was here.
The sight of a blown-up school brought an immense amount of grief, something Sean had never experienced before. He could feel it in the air, he knew everyone around him felt it too. But they had to put on a strong demeanor, it was expected from them after all. They can't let things like emotions hold them back from performing their duties.
It had been hours now, the sun was less aggressive in the sky. However, that was partly because of the thick layer of dust in the atmosphere left behind by the explosions. Sean and his team were almost done with their thorough inspection of the wrecked school building. Thankfully none of them found anybody in the ruins, so it is safe to say the building was empty.
Sean was on his way out when he heard a whimper coming from behind him. He froze in his tracks. He turned around and saw a huge pile of ruins. Sean realized there might be somebody in the building after all. He ran to the pile of debris and found a huge block of cement in the middle of it.
Sean lifted the block of cement and threw it aside. Once the dust had subsided, Sean's eyes landed on what was underneath the huge block of cement. It was a litter of five puppies, out of which four had passed away. But one of them was curled up into a little ball surrounded by its siblings. Sean's heart melted at the sight.
Even though she was covered in dust, Sean could tell that the puppy had a tuxedo fur. She was a mix of white, light brown on the body and dark brown around her eyes and ears. Sean could tell she is scared as she did not move when Sean appeared in front of her. Or she might be hurt, which is why moving was not easy.
Sean knew he had to help the little one, she might be injured. But as soon as he reached out, the puppy started barking in a hostile manner. Sean realized she must be scared of him. She just survived an explosion and might be feeling frantic right now. The puppy needed to trust him but he was just a stranger, how does one trust a stranger?
Sean decided she might be hungry, so it is best to entice her with food. Maybe that will gain him her trust. Sean reached into his backpack and took out a piece of chicken from his sandwich and slowly passed it to the puppy. The puppy slowly reached his hand and smelled it before devouring it in a go.
Feeding the puppy surely got her to trust Sean and this time she allowed him to pet her. Sean smiled and knew he is going to keep her with him. She is his dog now, and he decided to name her Barrie. It's almost as if on cue, Barrie came forward and nudged her head to his leg. Sean took it as a sign that she liked the name. He picked her up and took her back to his tent.
That night, Sean woke up from another one of his nightmares. He got up in his bed, his heart pounding in his chest. To his surprise, Barrie could sense something off about him because she reached in and licked his face before curling up beside him. It was almost her way of asking him to go back to sleep. Sean couldn't help but smile.
Sean woke up to the sound of his alarm, after what felt like ages. He was always up before everyone because he couldn't get much sleep thanks to his endless nightmares. He couldn't believe Barrie had helped him fall asleep last night. She was his escape from the chaos around him.
From that point on, Sean and Barrie were inseparable. She would accompany him everywhere, never leaving his side for a second. Soon enough she claimed a place in everyone's heart around her. She was known and loved by Sean's team members. Sean believed she brought peace to everyone around her.
Barrie proved to be therapeutic for Sean. He knew it came off as he is the one who saved her amongst the rubble but it was really the other way around. To have her in his camp to come back to and play with, it really kept him sane. It made things almost normal for him. He even made her a bulletproof vest, to keep her safe.
It was about two months after Sean found Barrie when he received a call telling him he gets to go home. His contract was over and instead of renewal, he was allowed to return home. While this was nothing but good news for Sean, he was concerned about how he will bring Barrie home. There is no way he is leaving her here. He is going to figure out a way to take her back to England.
Sean finished unloading the last piece of luggage onto his trolley. It was time to leave for England. His heart was heavy at the thought of leaving behind Barrie but he knew he is going to see her really soon. He already had a plan in mind and he is going to get on it as soon as he lands in England. Sean left her with a friend and promised to bring her home soon.
Once in England, Sean did not leave any leaf unturned. In order to get Barrie to come to England, he decided to take help from a UK charity called War Paws. This organization is dedicated to rescuing animals from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other war zones of the world. Sean needed to raise funds to bring Barrie back.
Sean was successful in raising funds to bring back Barrie. He managed to raise more than £4500. Then he contacted the charity so that they could help him with the paperwork as well as veterinary tests. Of course, the process did not take place in weeks, but it took about seven months to execute everything smoothly.
Right as Sean got the process initiated, Barrie was flown to Iraq where she was vaccinated and checked by War Paws. After that, she was flown to Jordan in August. She was kept in isolation for about 2 months in Jordan, where she underwent further check-ups. In October, Barrie was ready to be flown to the UK but due to missing paperwork, that plan did not work out.
Thanks to the cooperation from the charity, Sean was allowed to collect Barrie from Paris the Saturday of the same week she was flown from Jordan. She was flying with a Vet who was traveling back to Europe from the Middle East. Sean's happiness knew no bounds but he was also nervous. He left Syria in April and now it was October. He was afraid Barrie may not remember who he is.
Sean was waiting outside the airport in Paris. His hands were sweaty out of nervousness. He couldn't believe the moment is finally here when he gets to meet his dog again. He was desperately searching for her in the crowd and then out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted the authorities bringing her out.
Even from a distance, he could tell that Barrie was not a little puppy anymore. His heart jumped in his chest as soon as Barrie's eyes landed on him. To his relief, Barrie came running and jumped on him pushing him down on his back licking his face! Sean was overjoyed, Barrie recognized him immediately! She was still his dog.
Barrie had only seen war ever since she came to this world. So adjusting to her new life in Essex took some time. Sean had only been loving and providing utmost care to her. He is not a very spiritual man but he believes meeting Barrie in that exact moment in Syria had something to do with fate. He believes she was his dog from the moment they met.
Barrie had settled into Sean's life like a perfect missing piece. She usually wakes him up at 5 am barking at the squirrels or because she wants to play with him. He would take her out for walks early morning where she would love to roll around in the biggest puddle she could find. At night, he would give her the freedom to choose whether she wants to sleep inside or outside.
After returning from Syria, Sean created a life for himself in Essex. He was always into fitness, and as a result, he opened his own gym. His gym is a success and he also posts fitness videos on his Instagram. Not only that, Sean and Barrie's story became famous amongst all. People were inspired and in awe of the bond between the two.
Sean and Barrie's story became a viral sensation. Inspired by the reaction he received from people, Sean also wrote a book named, "Barrie: How a Rescue Dog and Her Owner Saved Each Other" which talks about his life when he found Barrie and how things unfolded after he found her. The book made huge sales in the market and was loved by all.
Sean found Barrie when the turmoils of the war were falling heavy on him. She helped him through the war, she helped him with PTSD. And somehow, surviving the war together created a bond of unconditional love between them. Barrie was like his baby. And after everything they went through in Syria, Sean was happy he finally gets to live a normal, peaceful life with his dog in England.