When Newtown resident Jeremy Ferris was deployed to the Middle East in November, he never could have imagined finding a lifelong companion in the middle of the night.

Nearly ten months later, in the late morning of Thursday, September 3, Jeremy stood outside his home waiting to reunite with Sadie, the dog who kept him company overseas.

Their meeting was total chance. On his first night in the Middle East, Ferris landed in Jordan and got on a bus around lunchtime. He fell asleep on the drive and, by the time he woke up, it was pitch black outside.

Unable to see anything, Ferris tried to move through the darkness and tripped over a stray dog. Instead of reacting aggressively, the dog rose, sat beside him, and offered him a moment of comfort.

"And then the next morning, I found her chewing on a 2x4 with nails in it. I got it away from her, and she wasn't happy, but the rest is just history from there," Ferris said.

Whenever Ferris returned from a mission, the stray dog would be waiting for him. From there, the pair developed a routine: Ferris would share his food and water with her, and she would comfort him.

Around the middle to end of November, Ferris realized he wanted to keep her and give her a safe life in the United States. He reached out to Paws of War, a nonprofit organization that supports active-duty military members, veterans, and first responders, along with their families, through animal rescue, service dogs, and therapeutic programs.

Ferris connected Paws of War to tabanni, a nonprofit animal welfare organization based in Jordan. It focuses on animal rescue, rehabilitation, adoption, and awareness; Ferris said the group helps cats and dogs in the Middle East get to the United States for families to adopt them.

The two groups worked together to transport Sadie overseas. Both Paws of War and tabanni, Ferris said, had been extremely kind, supportive, and knowledgeable.

"I can't express my gratitude enough," Ferris said. "I think it was a little ways into December where I was like, 'I need to get this dog home.'"

However, it was not until the middle of February that Ferris was able to get Sadie off base. He had to relocate her to a more southern base, as she was unable to be picked up where he was located.

"It was like a four-hour drive, but it was 100% worth it," Ferris said.

Sadie was not the first pet Ferris met overseas; he actually befriended a cat during his first deployment to Africa. However, Ferris was not able to bring him home, something he "always regretted."

Ferris added, "Being away from home by yourself, like obviously you have your friends and your fellow battle buddies, but having another animal there with you — having man's best friend, that companionship, that bond — it was just nice."

Sometimes at night, when he was done with his day, Ferris said he would sit on the ground with Sadie for hours, petting her and giving her food. The same was true for the mornings; Sadie would lay outside waiting for a belly rub and Ferris would share some of his breakfast with her.

It was moments like that, Ferris said, that took him away from the stressors of being deployed and away from home.

"Especially too when the war kicked off, it just helps bring you somewhere else to calm down and feel something," Ferris said. "Instead of work, stress, and life, it's just you and the dog having a good time."

Arrival

Ferris said Sadie got testing, bloodwork, the rabies vaccine, and a CDC passport to get imported.

Sadie arrived in the United States in late August, landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Once she landed, Sadie had to be cleared through customs through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Quarantine Center there, according to Paws of War Director of Animal Welfare & Logistics Niki Dawson.

Dawson said Paws of War picked Sadie up and brought her back to their facility on Long Island. She arrived there on the afternoon of Monday, August 31. Sadie had a day to relax before going to the veterinarian.

Ferris said the process took just under six months. Sadie could have come home a little sooner, but Ferris was still deployed and wanted to be home to receive her.

Later that Thursday, a Paws of War vehicle drove into Jeremy and his wife Heather's driveway. The only thing separating them from Sadie was a van door.

"This relationship transcended distance, time, thousands of miles apart. She had to fly across the ocean by herself, land at JFK ... and she's really right behind this door," Ferris said. "I never would've thought I could bring her home, and then a Google search and some help, and she's here."

Despite the dreary weather and impending rain last Thursday, sunshine broke through the clouds just in time for the reunion.

Sonny, Jeremy and Heather’s 5-year-old husky mix, perched himself beside the window overlooking the front yard. He had to climb onto a sofa to do so, but he was seemingly very excited to see what the commotion outside was about. Little did Sonny know, he was getting a sister.

“We kept telling him, ‘You’re gonna get a sister! You’re gonna get a sister!’ But he doesn’t really know,” Heather said.

“Yeah, I don’t think he knows,” Jeremy quipped.

It did not take long for Paws of War transporter Angelique Williams to open the van's sliding door, Sadie's light brown fur finally coming into view.

"There she is," Ferris said with a big smile on his face.

She trotted over to him under Williams's guidance, with Ferris giving her lots of pets.

"Hi baby girl, I know you're a little freaked out," Ferris told Sadie. "Welcome home. You made it."

Acclimation

Ferris took her leash, introducing Sadie to her new home. She paced around and sniffed the grass; this was a very new experience for Sadie, as Ferris said there was no grass or trees where they were in Sudan.

Sadie has a broken tooth that needs to be pulled, likely because all she could chew on where she used to be was rocks and wood, according to Dawson.

"The toll that it takes on their health is something that we're not even aware of until later," Dawson said.

Otherwise, she said Sadie is healthy. Dawson gave the fully reunited dog family Sadie's passport, and noted that she is registered as a Canaan Dog for her breed.

Dawson said Paws of War has a unique perspective, that of being on the ground floor of service members finding animals they bonded with.

"And so we have those initial conversations, we hear how worried these service members are, not for their own safety, but for the animal that they've fallen in love with," Dawson said.

Then, she said, it is that urgency to make sure they get the animal out as quickly and as safely as possible.

"And quite frankly, there are some that we don't get to in time," Dawson said. "So to be able to see this side of it ... this is what makes it special."

She noted that it is not always easy for the animal to acclimate to their new environment. This, Dawson said, ties into another aspect of what Paws of War does; they stay in touch with the service member and their animal companion for years.

She and Williams said they look forward to the holidays every year, when service members send them family photos, featuring them and their furry friend.

"I have pictures, some even in my phone, of dogs we delivered four or five years ago and the family sends a picture of them with their new baby. It'll be like they get a new baby sister, it's just amazing," Dawson said.

Sadie was happy to meet her new dog mom, although she seemed to have mixed feelings on Sonny; Sadie barked at him whenever he peeked through a window.

Ferris acknowledged that Sadie is feeling a bit overwhelmed, having to acclimate to such a new environment. Still, he said that he and the rest of his family will be by her side every step of the way.

Immediately following the reunion, Dawson said she and the Ferrises would do a long parallel walk with Sadie and Sonny. This would help Sadie adjust to her new environment.

Beyond that, Jeremy and Heather both look forward to experiencing many firsts with Sadie: feeding her treats, taking her on walks, teaching her how to play with toys, and more.

The pair could not help but smile as they walked her through their front yard.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.