Joyce, 38, and a soldier for 15 years, said the book's purpose is to help raise money for the war-dog association, animal shelters, rescue groups and others. Since the book was published last summer, interest in it — and the causes it promotes — has mushroomed.

School libraries and military base exchanges have ordered hundreds of the books, and a roster of celebrities — comedian Robin Williams, actor Gary Sinise and unconventional physician Patch Adams — have signed on in support.

"It's been a lot of fun," Joyce said. He and his family intend to publish two more Fluffy books in coming years.

The first, with its story of hardship overcome in the quest for a new life, has resonated with elementary-school children routed from their Louisiana homes by Hurricane Katrina.

Audrey Rivers, who uses her PetShare nonprofit group to help at-risk kids in Houston, gave the book to each Katrina evacuee in an after-school program, and was amazed at the reaction.

"I was surprised how the kids really made a connection to Fluffy and his story as it related to theirs," Rivers said. One little boy cried when he read the book — the first time he had let his emotions out in front of others.

"It really helped the kids to open up," she said.

Fluffy, of course, is oblivious to all the good he is doing. Now an estimated 5 years old, he sleeps not in a dusty street in a country where dogs are generally disliked — or worse — but on a red-white-and-blue quilt sewn specially for him by a fan. He's been showered with chew toys and dog treats from far and wide.

When Joyce first saw him, Fluffy was kept close to a baker's cart by a chain so heavy and short that the dog had trouble holding his head up. His job was to keep thieves away. Joyce and his commando comrades bought him for a pittance.

Fluffy proved to be ferociously protective — a trait that has mellowed some since he came to the United States but still surfaces enough that Joyce must be careful to keep the dog out of situations that could trigger that impulse. Otherwise, Fluffy has adjusted well to his new life.

"He's having a blast," Joyce said.