Fluffy the war hero loving life in the U.S.

In war, there are few winners whose lives are changed wholly for the good.

Fluffy the "commando dog" is one of them.

Malnourished, abused and missing teeth, Fluffy was rescued from his miserable existence in Iraq by a U.S. Army Special Forces team early in the war. Serving as a makeshift sentry and guard in the northern reaches of the country, the raggedy German shepherd saved the soldiers' lives more than once.

When it came time to come home, Sgt. 1st Class Russell Joyce — who gave the dog his irreverent name, dosed him with TLC and molded him into a first-rate protector — couldn't bear to leave Fluffy behind.

After a full-bore effort to bend bureaucratic rules by Vietnam War veterans, a handful of U.S. lawmakers, and countless animal lovers nationwide, Fluffy made it to America and a new life with Joyce's family in North Carolina in June 2003.

In the three years since, Fluffy — via his adoptive humans — has himself become a force for good.

He's helped raise money for the U.S. War Dog Association, a nonprofit outfit of former Vietnam War dog handlers and others who are establishing a memorial to the thousands of canines who have served — and died — alongside GIs in more than 80 years of U.S. wars, Joyce said.

"Russell and Fluffy have been a real boost to our organization," said Ron Aiello, president of the group and a Vietnam vet.

Fluffy was also awarded honorary U.S. Military Working Dog status by the military, had dog treats named after him by a manufacturer, secured a spot in the Fort Benning, Ga., National Infantry Museum, and was featured on "America's Top Dog" on the A&E Network.

He donated a lifetime supply of dog food bestowed on him by the IAMS pet-care company to the offspring of the late Bear, a golden retriever search dog who, during 18-hour days in the rubble of the World Trade Center, found more remains than any other canine.

Now, Fluffy is the star of a children's book created by the Joyce family, who took out a five-figure loan and shelled out more from their savings to bring "Fluffy's Journey" to print. Joyce's daughter Samantha, 14, wrote the text, with some help from her mother, Caroline, a special-education teacher. Daughter Elise, 8, drew the portraits that close the book.

It is a story of the ups and downs of Fluffy's odyssey to America and the friends he made along the way. The $19 book features cheerful illustrations of Humvees, Iraqi villages and the mountains of northern Iraq. The war is not to be seen.