If you are a dog lover and a lover of the military, 44 Days Out of Kandahar: The Amazing Journey of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Search to Find Her by Christine Sullivan is a must have. The story follows a puppy named Cinnamon who is adopted as the unofficial mascot of a small military base in Afghanistan. Navy Reservist LCDR Mark Feffer falls in love with the dog from the moment he arrives in country and goes through great pains to bring her back home with him when he returns.

Cinnamon, like move Golden Retrievers, is your typical mischievous puppy that tugs at the heartstrings of anyone with whom she comes in contact. When Mark gives her a comfortable bedroll to sleep on, she shews it up overnight. When the Seabees haul in a huge mound of sand for a sandbag project, Cinnamon makes it a her personal playground – virtually diminishing the mound in half through constant digging and playing. Throughout the day, she makes her rounds through camp to give each Soldier an equal opportunity to spoil and feed her.

But, when Mark finally makes the decision to bring Cinnamon home with her, things don’t go as planned. An experienced dog handler that he had met during a security sweep of his camp in advance of a vendor outreach conference volunteers to help him bring the dog home. Thrilled at the prospect of saving nearly $4,000 in transportation fees, Mark accepts the offer.

Back in the states, Mark’s family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of their newest addition to the family at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. As the plane lands and everyone is unloaded, a grim reality sets in – Cinnamon is not on the plane!

Christine Sullivan tells a gripping and tear jerking story about one military family’s efforts in locating Cinnamon thousands of miles away. She takes you through the emotional roller coaster that Mark and his wife, Alice, ride as they search far and wide for an animal they’ve come to love and who embodies the spirit of a previous family pet who died quickly and unexpectedly. 44 Days Out of Kandahar is an expertly written tale of love, inspiration, dedication, and perseverance.

A portion of the net profits from the sale of 44 Days Out of Kandahar will be donated to care for animals in need. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Normally, I’d raffle this book off, but I plan on reading my copy many more times (and I have a signed copy addressed to me!). So, maybe next time.