"Charlotte has lived for this day," an excited volunteer breathlessly gushed to anyone who'd listen, earnestly twirling an American flag.

As I awkwardly shifted on my feet at IAH's Continental Cargo Facility lobby amidst enthusiastic, well-dressed individuals, I had to wonder if this was a bit of an overstatement. I mean, I knew we were all anxiously awaiting the delivery of a dog. But weren't we being a little dramatic here?

And the Charlotte in question, with a swingy bob, dressed in a stylish red jacket and smart pinstriped pants, seemed to have a lot to live for other than a random, typically sweaty Houston day in late May.

It turns out, this wasn't your garden variety dog or your garden variety day, and Charlotte wasn't your typical successful businesswoman.

For starters, Charlotte Liberda, founder of Red Collar Rescue, a local non-profit animal rescue organization, had never met the dog for which she was waiting. You see, her co-worker at PM Realty Group, Tom Saldana, was called to active military duty in Iraq in February 2009. He expected to serve his country, but he never expected to fall in love.

But instead of a lovely ladyfriend, this love story is a classic tale of boy meets dog. Liberda said, "Tom and his unit had found this little puppy," and they adopted him as if he was their own. The unit became so attached to the Labrador Retriever mix, they named him Toby. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Well, not exactly. Keep in mind, Tom and Toby were in Iraq, and Tom's a Texan. So their love story wasn't exactly the stuff that dreams are made of.

To top it off, "The culture thinks they're unclean, and no one cares for them. They're all strays," Liberda said about the treatment of dogs in Iraq. "The guys in the unit knew they were all coming back here in July, and the puppy would be left behind."

Tom Saldana also knew that he had a sympathetic soul to the plight of puppies in Liberda, only with a twist — she could actually do something about it.

Saldana did not want to abandon his furry friend and have him meet the fate of many other Iraqi canines. So he enlisted Liberda's animal rescue expertise. "We started working with a group out of DC called Operation Baghdad Pups," Liberda said, "And Red Collar Rescue raised the money to bring Toby back."

But getting Toby stateside wasn't as easy as it sounds. From Al Asad Airbase in western Iraq, Toby was escorted by private security to the Baghdad airport, where he then flew to Kuwait, Amsterdam, and Washington, D.C. before donning his cowboy boots for his new home state.

Unfortunately, Toby encountered a barbed wire fence en route to acquiring Texas citizenship.

"Somewhere along the way, he picked up the parvovirus," Liberda said. And six-month old Toby remained in D.C. for an excruciating three additional weeks while he toughed it out.

But all that was a distant puppy dream when those three weeks ended on a clear, bright prelude to Memorial Day weekend. You couldn't turn the sunshine off Liberda's face as she eagerly opened the door to the cargo van and released Toby from his crate. Toby emerged a bit groggily, realized how good life was about to get, and trotted off to the curb to put his mark on Texas.

Now I understood exactly why Charlotte had lived for this day.

It wasn't just Charlotte that had lived for this day, however. A true hero's welcome greeted Toby as he sniffed his way through the crowd of volunteers and supporters on his new red leash with his new foster mommy. Red, white, and blue surrounded the curious pup. Hands extended toward tail-waggin' Toby from all directions, laden with treats, encumbered with balloons and banners, and full of love for the Little Puppy That Did.

Now that Toby's safe and sound, the last piece of the puzzle has yet to fall into place — a reunion between pup and pop. Liberda will care for Toby until Saldana gets back into town, but will Red Collar Rescue have a celebration for Toby and Tom upon his return in July?

"Absolutely!" Liberda said with a hearty chuckle. "We definitely will."