A U.S. Marine rescued two Anatolian shepherds while stationed in Afghanistan then flew them back with him to San Diego. But he came this close to losing them while he was preparing to transfer to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Dusty and Wyatt are brothers from the same litter and “experienced some pretty bad things,” Staff Sgt. Andrew Morales said. “If you look at their ears, tails … from what I understand, Afghans cut them off for fighting.”

After developing such a strong bond with the brothers, the last thing he wanted to do was leave them behind when he got his new assignment. But that was the situation he and his wife faced, when the airlines they contacted informed them that the dogs were too big for commercial planes landing at Camp Lejeune.

Desperate, he contacted the organization that had helped arrange for Dusty and Wyatt to fly from Afghanistan to California. That group posted an online plea for help, and fortunately it caught the eye of heiress Helen Rosburg – the great-granddaughter of William Wrigley, of Wrigley Gum fame.

An animal lover herself, Rosburg is a horse exhibitor and raises German shepherds to serve as service dogs and for personal protection and law enforcement.

“He was going to lose his dogs, and I said, ‘Not on my watch,’” she said, adding, “Everybody in my circle knows what I do. If they see an impossible situation, they’ll post something to my (Facebook) timeline.”

So what did she do to keep the family intact? She chartered them a private jet! How’s that for a little help?!

“From the bottom of me and my wife’s hearts, we really appreciate what she did for us,” Morales said.

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