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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Have you heard of Fred the Afghan yet? If you haven’t, you probably will very soon because Fred’s story is simply amazing and its being turned into a book.

You see, Fred is stray dog found on one of the most dangerous streets in Afghanistan by a U.S. Marine.



Sergeant Craig Grossi spotted the grungy, but goofy looking dog in the Sangin District in Helmund Province during his 2009 tour of duty and it was love at first sight, for both of them.

Even though he wasn’t supposed to interact with any stray dogs while on patrol, Grossi was drawn to Fred’s friendly and calm personality. Grossi first spotted him after their outpost was attacked by the Taliban. Fred was simply rummaging around the rubble. According to Honest to Paws stray dogs were very common in the area and many were hostile towards humans but this dog seemed different.

Eventually, Grossi went against policy and fed the dog a piece of jerky that resulted in a tail wag and an unlikely friendship that couldn’t be broken.

Grossi started calling him Fred because “he looked like a Fred” and Fred followed him everywhere including on missions where he checked housing for hiding Taliban.

According to Honest to Paws, “Craig’s fellow Marines were worried Fred might bark or draw attention to them, but Fred seemed to instinctively know to keep quiet and stay hidden.”

When Grossi reported back to base, he hid Fred in a duffel bag even though it went against every military policy. Then Grossi befriended a DHL shipping worker who helped ship Fred back to America to be with Grossi’s parents until his tour of duty was over.

Three months later, Grossi returned home to his furry friend and two have been inseparable.

After his time in the military, Craig attended Georgetown University with Fred by his side the entire time.

The two went on a cross-country trip staying in national park including the Grand Canyon.



Grossi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and is now working on a book about discovering Fred and just how important the little pup was to him during his time serving the country.

He also shares his story and current adventures with Fred on his website Fred the Afghan and Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.