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Rescued dog makes its way from Afghanistan to Bettendorf

Josh Poinsett and his new dog, Freedom, have quite the bond. From Afghanistan to Iowa, the Bettendorf man and his dog share a connection that spans nearly 7,000...

Josh Poinsett and his new dog, Freedom, have quite the bond. From Afghanistan to Iowa, the Bettendorf man and his dog share a connection that spans nearly 7,000 miles. . 

"I happened to be in the same place she was born, two days before she was born, I had left. I used to go to the F.O.B. that she was born at all the time, we used to deliver goods to them in Afghanistan," said Poinsett.

They're in the same place now thanks to a Waterloo, Iowa, Craigslist ad that his wife discovered about a month ago.

"She was over there the same time he was. And that means a lot to me and to him, that they have that bond together.  To me that's like, 'I gotta go get her'," said Mischa Poinsett.

What the Poinsetts didn't know when they adopted her was that Freedom was already a celebrity. The stray was rescued in Afghanistan by soldiers who would sneak her food, and who risked having their pay withheld, to save her.

Since her arrival in the United States, Freedom and her siblings have appeared in the media from New York to Iowa. But for Poinsett, the bond hits closer to home.

"When I look at her I go, 'Okay, we, in a way, share some connection with that.' It's encouraging to see that her life now is going to be a hundred-fold better than what it could have been.  Because I've seen some of the strays over there, and the fact that we were on standing orders to shoot all dogs and cats on any American post," Poinsett said.

Freedom seems to be adjusting just fine to her new home.

"Probably one of the better dogs I've had in a long time, very well-mannered, very protective," Poinsett said.

The Poinsetts also started a Facebook page for Freedom - check it out at this link:  http://www.facebook.com/freedom.poinsett

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