— A Chatham County soldier was reunited Wednesday with the dog he adopted while overseas.

Army medical Sgt. Joe Zehring was outfitted with ammo, a knife and tourniquet when his was deployed to the Middle East, but said his greatest gear of all was a heart of gold.

“This dog, I’ve seen where she’s been. It wasn’t very good,” he said. “There’s dogs all over the place that need homes. She means something to me and is a sweetheart.”

The dog, Annabelle, was orphaned when her mother stepped on an improvised explosive device.

“She was left with her sister to fend for herself, so my team took her in,” Zehring said.

The team adopted both dogs but, as Zehring and his team took care of them, he and Annabelle became close.

“It was kind of exciting. We got a couple of puppies. It was just someone to love, spend a little more time with, give us emotion,” Zehring said.

Zehring’s time with Annabelle ended when he returned home and while he was reunited with his wife, son and Weimaraner, Zehring knew something was missing.

Zehring reached out to the international SPCA and, after a few days of paperwork and a few months of waiting, he was reunited with Annabelle.

“This is awesome. It’s been just a blast to get my dog back,” Zehring said. “She earned herself American citizenship.”