A WAR veteran has been reunited with a hero hound who helped him through two tough tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Stuart Hale became one of the first amputees in the British Army to return to front line duty in 2008 after losing a leg in action.

And nine years later, he finally met up again with faithful old friend Gnasher, who was brou­ght back to the UK to live on a Herefordshire farm after the British military withdrew from Afghanistan.

“He came straight over to me like an old friend,” said the former Army corporal, who now runs the Pegasus Hobbies and Games shop in Monmouth. “It was great to see him again.

“As a pup, he came from a village near our camp because no one wanted him, and we all really took to him.”

Gnasher used to accompany them on patrol, warning them of suspicious activity, and when he was hit by shrapnel from an IED blast, soldiers and Army medics worked desperately to save his life.

“I knew him as a pup on my first tour in 2006 when I lost my leg,” added Mr Hale, “That’s the year my daughter Sofia was born, and she was delighted to meet him in Monmouth.

“When I returned to Afghanistan in 2008, Gnasher was a friend over there again to me. When he got hit by shrapnel he was rushed back and the paramedics were really quick at patching him up and thankfully he pulled through.

“To have animals like Gnasher around you was a real slice of home life in a difficult environment. The British love animals, and we enjoyed giving the dogs affection, while they were only too delighted to get well fed. I think they were fonder of Army rations than we were.”

Gnasher, whose Af­ghanistan name is Tangi, made a guest appearance at Monmouth’s Priory Hall on Saturday (June 17) for a fundraising coffee morning in aid of NOWZAD, a charity which helps relocate dogs that have befriended service people back to the UK and provides animal welfare through a clinic back in Afghanistan.

Stuart added: “Life for people over there is very hard, and they don’t have the same relationship with animals that we do. Over there, they’ll be kept as guard dogs, even made to fight, they’re not pets.”

Gnasher is now living the life of Riley on a local farm having been brought to live in the UK, but it has taken him a while to adjust.

“Apparently, every so often he’ll go and sit

on his own with his thoughts about what he experienced over there, like doggy post-traumatic stress,” added Stuart. “And then when he’s ready, he’ll come back.

“When he first came to the UK, he bit a few fingers, which is where he got the name Gnasher, but now he’s adapted well, and it’s lovely to meet him again after all this time.”

The coffee morning raised £325. To see more about NOWZAD’s work and to donate, see www.nowzad.com