Sgt. Gwen Beberg, serving in Iraq, rescued a puppy from a burning pile of trash.

The problem is getting the puppy, Ratchet, into the U.S. due to rules prohibiting soldiers from adopting pets.

“I just want my puppy home,” Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis wrote to her mother in an e-mail Sunday from Iraq, soon after she was separated from the dog following a transfer. “I miss my dog horribly.” Beberg, 28, is scheduled to return to the U.S. next month.

There have been exceptions thanks to the group Operation Baghdad Pups, they’ve gotten 50 dogs and six cats transferred to the U.S. in the last eight months.

Operation Baghdad Pups’ program coordinator, Terry Crisp, is scheduled to arrive in Baghdad on Wednesday. Crisp said the adopted dogs left behind face death on Iraqi streets.

She said Iraqis view dogs and cats as nuisances and carriers of disease, and U.S. soldiers have rescued many of them from abuse.

Let your bark be heard, help in “Operation Ratchet” by going to the petition site and putting your paw on paper to help bring this innocent puppy home.