Airman adopts former partner

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tiffany M. Grigg
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs Office
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  (Editor's note: This is the last in a series on military working dogs at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.)

War dogs have been used in battle throughout history, dating back as early as 600 B.C., where they were used by the king of Lydia against the Cimmerians. In Air Force history, their service dates back to 1952 when the first Air Force sentry dog school was activated at Showa Air Station, Japan.

Throughout the past 62 years, the roles of Air Force military working dogs have branched out from the basic sentry dog, in which they were taught to detect and attack on command, to patrol dogs, the current Air Force standard which was adopted in 1969. Furthermore, to combat the growing use of drugs in Southeast Asia, a drug detection course was added to the MWD program in January 1971 and in 2005, Specialized Search Dogs (SSD) were introduced to the Department of Defense inventory in response to the rising threat of Improvised Explosive Device attacks during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

"We have patrol dogs and detections dogs here at Moody," said U.S. Air Force Ryan Frederick, 23d Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog trainer. "However detection is our bread and butter."

Following years of military service, just as the saying 'Every dog has his day' goes, every MWD has his retirement day. Whether through the development of medical conditions from military service or simply old age, eventually MWDs must retire, just as people do. So what happens to them?

"To [begin] the process there has to be a reason first. Then it is up to the vet to determine if the dog can no longer work in the field," said Frederick.

Following the visit to the vet, a disposition video of the dog is shot with two unfamiliar handlers to see how he reacts in certain situations.

"One person acts as decoy and the other acts as [the handler during] a bite session with the dog while the dog is muzzled," said Frederick. "The decoy will first yell at the handler while the dog sits there and this allows us to look for signs of aggression, to see what the dog does. Next the decoy will yell at the dog and this is also done to see if the dog becomes aggressive or just hangs out or [ignores the threat]."

After filming various bite sessions, the completed video is sent to the regional vet at Fort Stewart, Ga.

"[The Army vets] will look over the video to see if it meets their criteria for acceptable or non-acceptable [behavior]," said Frederick. "If deemed unacceptable, that does not mean that the dog can't be adopted, it just means that if the dog is retired, he needs to be given to someone that knows [how to properly handle him.]"

Following this, the paperwork process begins and the package is forwarded to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

"The civilian in charge at Lackland looks over the package from our vet, the regional vet, all the paperwork [pertaining to the dog] himself and basically ensures that the dog is up for retirement because he needs to be and it isn't just us wanting a new dog," said Frederick.

Once approved for retirement, the dog undergoes various play sessions to ensure he is ready to be around other dogs and children and he is adaptable to a home environment. With all boxes checked, the MWD is now set for retirement life as an adopted pet.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Devin Tiger, 23d SFS MWD handler, recently adopted his partner, MWD Hal, who has been a Moody MWD since 2006. Before Hal, Tiger's first experience working a MWD adoption process was with Ddoris, a Belgian Malinois that did not make it through the MWD program.

"[Ddoris] was deemed too timid to be a military working dog," said Tiger. "She transitioned extremely well though because she didn't get too far into the training program. It was just [slightly] awkward for her to interact with other dogs at first."

At the Tiger household, Hal has been reintroduced to a normal life, making the transition from Tiger's partner to Tiger's pet. For Tiger, bringing his partner home is a real treat.

"When I was at work, I was spending all day with Hal, so to be able to take him home and allow him to join my family, was very exciting for my wife and myself as well," said Tiger.

Just as military people come to their end of service and may pursue a life of leisure outside of the military, Tiger feels that military working dogs deserve that same opportunity.

"After serving their time I believe [MWDs] deserve to be retired, lie on the couch and be happy," said Tiger. "Hal is an extremely good dog and he deserves this."