What Does a Bomb Detection Dog Do in Retirement?
By, K9 Magazine
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For years Hero, nicknamed ‘Lunchbox’ because of his love of food, spent his days detecting explosive devices in Iraq with his handler, Joaquin Mello.
The relationship between a dog and their handler is unique and when you consider what they go through together when deployed overseas, it’s not hard to see why.
But when it comes time for the working dog to retire, usually at around six or seven-years-old, the pair usually have to part ways because circumstances (deployment schedules and living in military barracks) usually prevent Army handlers from being able to adopt the dog.
For years Hero, nicknamed ‘Lunchbox’ because of his love of food, spent his days detecting explosive devices in Iraq with his handler, Joaquin Mello.
The relationship between a dog and their handler is unique and when you consider what they go through together when deployed overseas, it’s not hard to see why.
But when it comes time for the working dog to retire, usually at around six or seven-years-old, the pair usually have to part ways because circumstances (deployment schedules and living in military barracks) usually prevent Army handlers from being able to adopt the dog.
As a SOC Canine Handler, Joaquin's circumstances are different to when he was in the Army and so when the organisation planned to retire Hero, they asked him if he and his family would like to adopt him.
The family were delighted and now Hero is getting to discover a whole load of new ‘firsts’ as a family pet with the Mello family and Joaquin is getting to see the dog he was inseparable with in Iraq developing new bonds with his family, his two-year-old daughter especially.
