From Baghdad with Love by Jay Kopelman

Author:Jay Kopelman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 2008-06-02T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

February 2005

Baghdad

ANNE’S DAYS IN Baghdad start early. Until 5 AM, Lava snuggles up next to her in bed and snores, but at 5 AM sharp the security people in the building rotate in and out, which sends Lava diving off the bed, to the door, to the window, and back to the door in a fanatic frenzy of barking.

Back in the States, Anne and her husband live with five dogs, so she understands canine instinct well, but she tells me that never ever has she met a dog, especially one as young as Lava, who bounces so wildly back and forth between innocence and sheer ferocity. She thinks maybe it’s his gene pool; there are so many stray and feral dogs in Iraq that anything could be governing his DNA. Maybe the bombs did it or maybe his early diet of MREs, but Anne guesses it has something more to do with being raised by homesick Marines.

Lava is a toy version of the well-trained, loyal-hearted, loudmouthed grunt. He sits on command. He pees outside. He obeys to the point of mechanization, but threaten the safety of his loved ones—especially at five o’clock in the morning—and nothing holds back the roo-roo-rooing.

The building, really a compound of small buildings surrounded by a high wall, sits in the Red Zone and houses the NPR crew, other reporters, an Iraqi staff, and the security personnel.

There aren’t any cinemas, no restaurants, no trivia nights at the local mosque, so the highlight of everyone’s day at the compound is to fawn over Lava’s incredible ability to sit.

“Watch this,” one of them says to the others for the sixth time that evening, then looks down at Lava and raises a hand ever, ever, ever so slightly.

“Sit.”

And the intelligent puppy looks up, wags his tail, and sits. It’s amazing. Everyone, even the Iraqi workers, oohs and aahs as if encouraging the spiritual progress of the next Dalai Lama.

Anne e-mails me with updates when she can.

“All is well. Lava is happy . . .”

“He’s incredibly affectionate. He nips but no more than our Lab puppy back home . . .”

“He sits beautifully . . .”

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