Nubs gets royal treatment after befriending U.S. Marine Major Brian Dennis: Nubs, a national celebrity, is in Chesterton being well taken-care of by Roger and Trina Hess, whose son U.S. Marine Captain Ron Hess, volunteered his parents to see that Nubs gets to his final destination in San Diego. Nubs is pictured with Major Dennis in Iraq.     (Photo provided)

By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN

Nubs, an Iraqi dog, adopted by a U.S. Marine, continues to make the news as he flies from Iraq to San Diego, Calif., where he will wait for U.S. Marine Major Brian Dennis to return home from Iraq.

During a layover in Chicago from Iraq to Calif., Nubs, who has gained national attention, is staying with Roger and Trina Hess of Porter, parents of Captain Ron Hess, U.S. Marine. They picked him up at O’Hare Airport Wednesday, took him home and plan to put him on a flight from Chicago O’Hare to San Diego on Friday.

While here, Nubs has been getting red carpet treatment. Dave Wagner arranged for Nubs to enjoy a steak dinner and Roger and Trina Hess said they were taking him to a veterinarian because Nubs was scratching a lot.

For those who have missed the numerous stories about Nubs on national TV networks and in some newsprint, his story is one of the good stories about the war in the Middle East.

Nubs originally was the alpha dog of a pack of desert dogs that U.S. Marines met while searching for insurgents along the border of Iraq and Syria. Major Brian Dennis befriended the dog, but his unit, to which Capt. Hess belongs, moved, and relocated 70 miles away.

The German Shepard-border Collie Mix, made a miraculous trek from the Iraq/Syrian border in below freezing conditions, 70 miles across the desert to Major Dennis’ unit. Dennis named him Nubs, because his ears had been cut off. Nubs also had been stabbed by a screwdriver.

Dennis nursed him back to health and constructed a doghouse for Nubs. However, military police notified Dennis that he was not allowed to keep a dog. Men in his unit pitched in, raising funds for Nubs to be shipped back to the United States.

According to Trina Hess, with all the notoriety that this dog has received, Hubs stayed in the King of Jordan’s Kennel and was examined before he was flown via Royal Jordan Air to Chicago. Capt. Ron Hess volunteered his parents to make the transfer flight to continue Nubs’ transport to his new home in San Diego. He was met in Chicago Wednesday by CBS and Fox News, which aired his arrival Wednesday night.

After spending Thursday with the many people who wanted to see Nubs, he is spending the rest of Thursday at the Hess’ home, then will fly via American Airlines to California. (He is flying cargo).

Posted 2/21/2008