Happy Veteran's Day to those serving currently and retired, and let's not forget the amazing dogs who serve alongside their handlers with an unconditional love and loyalty.
Just because the handler comes home with his deployment over, that doesn't mean the dog comes back as well. The dog is still utilized for his skills and matched to another handler. This can be disheartening to those handlers who have come to rely on man's best friend and have formed that special bond between best friends. Having to say goodbye is a heart-wrenching experience for both dogs and handlers, and it's one that some handler's just don't get over.
These are some stories that tell the lengths these handlers go through to be reunited with the partners that meant so much to them.
When Lance Corporal Andrew Harmon was stationed in Afghanistan, he was paired with Rebel, a beautiful yellow Labrador retriever, for the seven month tour of duty. It was Harmon's first tour, but that wasn't the case for seasoned Rebel. Once Harmon returned home, he sadly resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't ever see Rebel again.
"I've had numerous dogs before, but the bond wasn't like this. You know, I can't describe it," Harmon said, according to The Dodo.
Rebel went on to work for another handler before becoming injured in the line of duty and retiring, coming stateside to live in North Carolina with a woman. When his medical bills became more than his new owner could afford, she reached out to Harmon, who was over the moon to be reunited with his best friend.
Rebel was thrilled to be reunited with his previous handler and is navigating retired life, healing from his injuries with the one owner who adores him. Rebel loves Harmon's 1-year-old daughter and has proven his loyalty to his entire family.
Cpl. Jeff DeYoung survived his deployment thanks to his partner Cena. While many of DeYoung's colleagues did not survive, Cena was always ahead of the game, sniffing out all danger, specifically the IED's that he was trained to locate.
"This dog saved my life. I trust him more than I trust most human beings," said DeYoung.
Having been home for four years with his wife Lindsey and a growing family that includes two daughters and a third on the way, DeYoung still missed his buddy Cena.
"I don't know what we would do without that dog," said Lindsey. "Honestly, everything they've been through, everything, you know the fire fights ... the dog saved my husband's life."
So when non-profit group Mission K-9 Rescue was able to reunite DeYoung and Cena, the excited DeYoung was beside himself.
"We slept together in fighting holes. We ate the same food. He drank out of my water system. I carried him across rivers. We had a hail storm and a dust storm and I had to cover myself on top of him," said DeYoung. "I am so glad that he recognized me."
"He'll always have an honored place in my family," said DeYoung, who goes on to say that Cena will now live the comfy life, including sharing the queen-sized bed with the DeYoungs. Perhaps a bigger bed will be needed, Click on Detroit noted.
When Spc. Brent Grommet and his partner Matty were matched and trained in the military's Tactical Explosive Detection Dog program, Grommet knew there was something extraordinary about the Dutch Shepherd. They became separated in 2012, and under the federal Robby's law, a wounded handler has the right to request his dog under what is known as the final say for adoption for his partner.
But somehow, Grommet's paperwork became lost in the shuffle somewhere, and Matty was adopted to a family instead. When Grommet and his father Don started an intensive media campaign to reunite the bomb-sniffing Matty with his former handler, the adoption was already completed, and while the Army realized their mistake, their hands were tied.
"This is a truly unfortunate mistake, and we are doing what we can to help all parties involved," Pentagon Army spokesman Lt. Col. Donald Peters told The Washington Times.
"While regulations dictate that former handlers have first priority for adoption, Spc. Grommet's request was not forwarded to, nor received by, the Army's Office of the Provost Marshall General, which manages the program, prior to the dog's legal adoption," said Peters.
A social media campaign was the next step, with a popular Facebook page that caught the eye of Matt Martini, an executive with Off the Record Strategies, a pro bono public relations group that stepped in to help. Martini confirmed that Matty is now reunited with the ecstatic Grommet.
"The Grommets are just really happy to have Matty back right now," he said. "What they'd like to see happen is for the legislation to be amended so a better accounting for the relationship between the handlers and these dogs is recognized."
"It's hard, it really is," says Grommet. "If I just wanted a dog, I could get a dog. I don't want a dog. I want my dog."
U.S. Army Specialist Tyler Roberts shared his time in Afghanistan with a dog he could never forget, Donna, a Tactical Explosive Detective Dog (TEDD) trained to sniff out bombs and other explosive devices. The paid found hundreds of pounds of ammonium nitrate, protecting many people from harm.
Once separated and stateside, Roberts spent years searching for his beloved partner. "We separated in September 2011, and I tried to follow her career so that I could adopt her after she retired, but I could never get a straight answer as to her whereabouts," Roberts said, according to USA Today.
Unfortunately for Donna and 10 other TEDD's, their dogs were adopted by an unlicensed private contracting company that ended up abandoning them at Mt. Hope Kennels in Richmond, Va.
Greg Meredith, who had taken the dogs in at Mt. Hope, understood that their stay at the kennel would not exceed two months. After a 15-month stay, Donna and the other dogs that were not reassigned a handler with the military, were handed over to the U.S. War Dogs Association in Burlington, N.J. and Mission K9 Rescue of Houston, Texas.
"Our goal is to reunite all of the handlers and soldiers with their war dogs. We love to make that happen for them," said Kristin Maurer of Mission K9 Rescue, who made the 1,000-mile drive to reunite Donna with Roberts.
"I owe her my life and I intend to spoil her for the remainder of hers," said Roberts.
Handlers and their dogs form an unbreakable bond that survives time apart. To help continue the expensive reuniting of these special pairs, donations to Mission K9 Rescue can be made here. The work they do is deserving, and the number of lives improved is immeasurable.
