A dog named "Nubs," a mutt that lived in the streets of war-torn Iraq, is coming to America today.

Marine Major Brian Dennis started a friendship with the shepherd mix when he met it while on patrol in the Anbar province.

He named it Nubs, after learning someone cut the dog's ears off believing it would make him more aggressive and alert.

The Marines fed Nubs scraps and watched out for him as best they could, but Nubs, living a life on the run in the middle of a war, was paying a price.

Dennis saw the dog had lost a tooth and been bitten. Later he found him stabbed and near death in freezing temperatures but was required to go back to his command post 65 miles away.

Two days later, Nubs arrived.

Since the military prohibits keeping dogs in war zones, Dennis was given four days to get rid of the dog.

Dennis managed to find a Jordanian veterinarian to get the care and paperwork needed to get the Nubs across the border into Jordan and shipped to the U.S.dog to the states. The$3,500 needed for his airfare to San Diego was raised by his friends and family, and a friend agreed to care for the dog until Dennis returns in March.

To read the full AP account, click here. To see a TV news account from Dennis' hometown, click here.

(AP Photo/Major Brian Dennis)