Dressed in a red, blue and white stars and stripes scarf, Ratchet the dog wagged his tail excitedly, leapt out of his crate and onto US soil for the first time after leaving his Iraqi home for a new life in America.

It was a long, two-day journey for the black puppy who travelled on three planes via Kuwait and Amsterdam to Washington after being adopted by a US soldier serving in Iraq.

Specialist Gwen Beberg, who is due to return home to Minnesota next month, adopted Ratchet in May after she saved him from a burning pile of rubbish in Baghdad.

The plight of the puppy touched the hearts of animal lovers around the world after an online petition to allow the dog to relocate to America with Ms Beberg was signed by 50,000 people.

“I'm very excited that Ratchet will be waiting for me when I get home from Iraq! Words can't describe it,” Ms Beberg, 28, said in an e-mail to friends and family. “I hope that Ratchet's story will inspire people to continue the efforts to bring more service members' animals home from Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The US military bars troops from caring for pets while on duty or taking them home, but the Department of Defence has made exceptions in the past.

In Ratchet's case, the military didn't prevent him from being taken from Iraq, but said it wouldn't be responsible for transportation.

The dog was rescued by Baghdad Pups, run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International.

The group, which has now brought 63 animals to the US, said the effort both dogs and cats and alsohelps soldiers who benefit from the bond with the animals.

Baghdad Pups coordinator Terri Crisp, who brought Ratchet back from Iraq, said animals adopted by soldiers help them get through difficult times.

“I hope Ratchet and his story will lead to some dialogue with the military,” Ms Crisp said as she stroked the puppy.

Ratchet flew on a charter flight to Kuwait, then on a commercial flight to Amsterdam and on to Washington’s Dulles International Airport. Eagan, the Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines, picked up the cost of the last two legs.

Ratchet frolicked for a while on a grassy patch outside the airport before heading off to the Clocktower Animal Hospital in Herndon, Virginia, for a check-up and some shots after which he was declared “extremely healthy”.

He will spend two nights in a kennel before flying to Minneapolis, where Ms Beberg's parents will pick him up and look after him until she returns next month after completing her tour of Iraq.

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