Veteran memoir traces war zones and the birth of War Paws

By AI, Created 4:33 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – British Army veteran Dai Matthews has released Dogs Make Me Smile: War Paws, a memoir about his military and security career across Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa and the animal rescues that followed. The book also documents the conditions that led him to found War Paws, a charity that helps animals affected by conflict and neglect.

Why it matters: - The memoir links frontline military service to a concrete rescue mission, showing how wartime conditions can create long-term consequences for animals left behind. - War Paws continues to rehome and rehabilitate animals from conflict zones, making the book more than a personal account. - The story adds a rare animal-welfare lens to war reporting, including the impact of conflict, poverty and neglect on stray and abandoned animals.

What happened: - British Army veteran Dai Matthews released Dogs Make Me Smile: War Paws on May 15, 2026. - The memoir follows Matthews from a Welsh mining town to Afghanistan, Iraq and multiple African countries. - Matthews served with the British Army’s Welsh Guards and later worked in close protection and security across Iraq, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Mozambique. - The book is available now on Amazon in paperback, hardback and eBook editions.

The details: - The 273-page memoir includes 36 chapters and spans 1984 to the present day. - The book covers Matthews’ enlistment, his deployment to Afghanistan, his security work across Africa and the Middle East, and the incidents that led to the founding of War Paws. - Matthews says the book is built on direct experience of cruelty to animals in war and disaster zones. - The memoir includes a tribute to fallen soldiers Matthews served alongside, including comrades from Operation Herrick 10 in Helmand Province. - The author’s note describes the book as a record of “loss, survival and conscience” in conflict, and says unexpected moments of compassion still emerged in the darkest places. - Matthews characterizes the book in his foreword as “not politically correct” and rooted in real experience. - War Paws began after Matthews encountered roadkill, deliberate poisonings and the incineration of stray dogs in southern Iraq. - The charity grew from one person feeding and protecting abandoned puppies on a remote oilfield into an organized rescue effort. - War Paws now rescues, rehomes and rehabilitates animals affected by war, conflict and neglect.

Between the lines: - The memoir is as much a witness account as a war narrative, connecting military service with environmental damage and the hidden suffering of animals in conflict regions. - Matthews positions compassion as something that can survive even in violent settings, which gives the book a moral frame beyond autobiography. - The book’s blunt tone suggests Matthews wants to challenge readers more than reassure them.

What’s next: - War Paws is expected to continue its rescue operations for animals affected by conflict and neglect. - The memoir may expand public awareness of animal welfare conditions in war zones and the work of volunteer rescue groups. - Matthews continues to support War Paws’s ongoing operations from his base in Wales.

The bottom line: - Dogs Make Me Smile: War Paws turns one veteran’s wartime experience into a sustained animal-rescue mission and a first-hand record of cruelty in conflict zones.