Shot soldier's dog brought home from Afghanistan

The family of a Warwickshire soldier shot dead in Afghanistan has brought home a stray dog he cared for.

Pte Conrad Lewis, of 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was shot along with a colleague patrolling an area in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

The 22-year-old's family, of Claverdon, has been working with animal charity Nowzad to bring home Peg, a dog looked after by all members of the regiment.

Peg is in quarantine until November but the family say it is worth it.

Peg, a three-year-old mongrel, was named by the soldiers after Pegasus, the winged-horse on the regiment's emblem.

Pte Lewis' father, Tony Lewis, said his son had really loved the dog, and had written about her extensively.

"At Christmas, on leave, he said he would like to bring her home," he said.

Pte Lewis died on 9 February and Mr Lewis said Peg was the family's link to their son.

"She is our link to him out there, doing the job that he did. She was by his side," he said.

The family travel to see her every weekend, which Pte Lewis' sister, Siobhan, said was "heart wrenching" but worth it.