British Army soldier Sean Laidlaw was stationed in Syria when he found something unthinkable. Buried beneath the rubble of a collapsed building was a tiny puppy. The puppy was scared and whimpering when the Royal Engineers uncovered the poor creature. They offered it something to eat and drink, but it was Sean who was immediately drawn to the puppy.

For days he worked with the pup to get it to trust him. Sean would go to where the puppy stayed and offer it food and gentle words. On occasion he’d get lucky enough to give the pup a soothing rub.

On the day that he rescued Barrie, Sean discovered that Barrie was really a girl. But that didn’t matter to Sean. He had formed a bond with her and was determined to take care of her.

The 30-year-old lance corporal says it was Barrie that saved his sanity during the chaos in Syria. You can see in the video below just how bad it really was in Syria while he was stationed there. Sean says that he and Barrie spent all of his free time together and she would even sit in the passenger seat as they would drive into town. She became his permanent sidekick.

Three months after rescuing Barrie, Sean had a short trip back to the U.K., and while he was there, his contract in Syria was cancelled unexpectedly. He was devastated because Barrie was still in Syria.

He says he never even had a chance to say goodbye to her, and that he was probably the only person that was sad to not have to go back to Syria. Still, he was determined to not leave Barrie stranded there.

Sean saved up ₤4,500 and then contacted War Paws, a charity in Iraq that works to reunite animals with their beloved soldiers. War Paws took Barrie to Iraq, gave her a full examination and got her up to date on vaccinations, and then prepared to reunite her with Sean.

Finally in August, she was flown to Paris where she was reunited with Sean. He was worried though, that Barrie wouldn’t remember him since she was a puppy the last time he had seen her.

When Barrie and Sean reunited, she was a full grown dog, but Sean’s fears were quickly laid to rest. Barrie definitely remembered Sean and it was like the two had never been apart.

Check out the video below to learn more about Barrie and Sean’s story, and to see their amazing reunion. Be sure to share this heartwarming story with your family and friends.