U.S. Marine seeks his Siberian husky after she was given away while he was deployed

A U.S. Marine is heartbroken after returning home from deployment to discover that his beloved Siberian husky was given away to an animal shelter, report our partners at KUSA.

Sgt. Nathan Jumaili paid a trusted neighbor to take care of Sasha — a one-year-old puppy at the time — for the duration of his deployment to West Africa. When that neighbor ran into financial issues — stemming from drug abuse — he gave Sasha to a local animal shelter where she was soon adopted by someone else.

Now Jumaili, who says Sasha was the best companion he could have asked for, is trying everything to just see her one more time.

The shelter responded to Jumaili’s pleading emails from overseas with a note saying there was nothing else it could do. In a statement to WUSA9, the shelter said that the neighbor signed a contract which affirmed he was Sasha’s rightful owner — he gave them no reason to believe otherwise. They will not reveal the identity of Sasha’s new owners, who wish to remain anonymous, but say that the husky is in good care and well-loved.

“I just want to know she’s okay,” Jumaili said. That “she’s happy. And maybe I could come see her,” he said.

Jumaili said he wants Sasha to know he’s still here, that he didn’t abandon her and that she’s still the love of his life.