War Dog Reunites With His Best Friend

These dogs go to the most dangerous and extreme environments. They are the same ones our soldiers go to. That dog is your patrol partner. You are with them 12 hours a day. I can absolutely trust Szultan 100%. They have to perform at a level we cannot understand. Leaving the military was very difficult for me and I didn't think I would see him again. Military working dogs are the property of the Department of Defense. They train to enter combat zones. They are trained to listen to loud noises. Good Guy. They train to bite. Military service members train to protect our country.

And dogs are no different. They have been through things together that we will never understand. That dog is your patrol partner. You are with them eight or twelve hours a day. It is very important to interact with your dog because you need to know his little quirks. If you miss a little turn of the head or a little wag of the tail, that could be someone's life. Good Guy. Hold it! Hold it, buddy. Hold him. I was Szultan's first manager. He has his own unique personality to him. He was very temperamental. A ridiculous amount of work went into Szultan.

I wanted to do things his way. He also had the strongest bite. He crushed my steel-toed boot. And I was like, "Okay, buddy. We're not doing that anymore." He definitely left a lot of bruises on a lot of people. I made a deal with Szultan. I said, "Hey, look, man. I know you're in a bad mood. I need you not to bite me, please. I'll respect you, you respect me, and we'll figure this out together." After doing that, we started interlacing. I was super proud of him. I can absolutely trust Szultan 100%. After years of working with these dogs, my body definitely took a lot of wear and tear.

I started having problems with my hands. I continued to release the leash. So I went to the doctor and had two spinal surgeries that put me out of commission. Then I medically retired. Leaving Szultan was very hard for me. You have your pets at home and of course you love them, but it's different. It is indescribable how close you are with your dog. I don't think I'll ever love a career the way I did working with dogs. When you love it, it doesn't even feel like work anymore. One day you're in, the next day you're out, and then you're like, "Wow, what do I do now?" I thought about Szultan quite often.

It was a difficult transition, wondering if he would retire or how he was doing. He would message a couple of people just to check on him and see how he's doing. After two or three years, I lost touch with people and moved to Pittsburgh to start going to school. When most dog handlers leave the military, they never know if they will see their dog again. And the story of these dogs 20 years ago was very different from today. The military dogs were not meeting their handlers when they left. They were being slaughtered at a fairly rapid rate.

Due to the public outcry over these dogs, laws have changed about where they find their handlers. One day I got a random Instagram message from the attendant who picked up Szultan right after me—I hadn't spoken to him in years—asking if I'd be interested in taking Szultan because he was retiring. When they retire, the handler who currently has it has the option of taking it home. I think for some of these dogs, if they are dog aggressive or food aggressive, it makes it difficult because some people can't take it home. And I was a little worried that he would be euthanized.

Nobody at the pound wanted Szultan, but I said, "Yes, I'll take him," because he couldn't have gone with anyone. So I had to come look for Szultan within a period of two weeks. He was in panic mode. How am I going to go find Szultan? And that's why I called Mission K9, to see if they could help me figure something out. We receive calls from caregivers almost daily because they simply do not have the financial means to take care of their dog. Charleston is about 10 hours away. I couldn't miss school. I couldn't miss work. I remember she called me.

I asked if maybe they could send it to me, if that was an option. Absolutely not. This is not how it works. Give me an appointment, we will go look for it and bring it to you. That's all? Thank you. I was like, "That's what we're here for." What Angela is experiencing is a fairly common problem and, once the dog retires, no matter where she is, she is no longer considered a member of the military. And that's why they have become a pet, not a veterinarian. And that's why the military isn't allowed to put a pet on a flight, so they'll ask us to step in and take the dog home.

Hello Sheba. Our mission is to rescue, reunite, rehome, rehabilitate and repair any retired working dogs that have served humanity. We have reunited just over 500 retired military working dogs and their handlers. He never ages. It becomes a little addicting to return them to their handlers. Oh, who's a good boy? Hello! Come here. Oh thanks. Mmmm, mmm, muah! As far as Szultan is concerned, when it comes to a dog that we've been told has some behavioral issues, we're very respectful of what we know he's capable of, so we'll take him in the car. The plan to catch Szultan is that we will fly from Texas to South Carolina, pick him up, rent a car and drive him to Angela.

Hello Szultan. The last time I saw Szultan was about four years ago. I'm excited. Highly strung. She is really calling. Hey, she's fine, so we just went to Building 11. If you back up a little bit, we're here. Okay, get off. Szultan. Great guy. I know, big guy. Hi,

friend

. I know it's very scary. I know. Hi,

friend

. I know, big guy. I know. Alright. It's all so new. Wow, guys. Thank you. Welcome to the pack, friend. Welcome to the pack. We went through all kinds of weather, but it was good. Szultán was perfect. He did great.

It's very emotional to finally meet them, just because of what they do as handlers. I keep trying not to cry. I hope Szultan and Angela have a great time during his retirement. He has worked very hard and it is time for him to be on a couch and let himself be pampered and loved. And Angela will definitely do that. Wow, guys. In the last few days, he has calmed down more than I have seen him in seven years. Having Szultan back is definitely like having a part of the Air Force with me. I'm looking forward to summer, when I can sit on the patio and have a couple of drinks with my friend Szultan.