"Pet" Show 2020 - Dakota Edition

Not really sure if she qualifies as a pet, but Dakota was one stellar IED Detection Dog.

We were paired together in the Fall of '09. She was the veteran of the bunch. Quiet, measured, and absolutely loved to work (detect bombs by odor). She could've made any handler confident.

We deployed to Afghanistan in January of 2010. There was a lot of work ahead of us as there was a large offensive occurring.

Spent some cold, rainy nights out there together. She always had a space inside my sleeping bag or under her own poncho.

She had her quirks, of course. Loved chewing up letters I was trying to write home. The one and only time hot, normal chow made it to our outpost she snatched the burger right out of my hand. Quite alright, she earned it.

She found several IEDs and always stayed cool under fire. Our platoon adored her.

Not long after this she was wounded in an ambush. We were evacuated back to base where she underwent surgery.

There were a lot of long days and late nights filled with follow-on surgeries and therapy, but she recovered! Good amount of soft tissue loss and one heck of a scar, however no lasting damage other than a partially floppy tail.

When we returned stateside the first thing we did after getting off the bird was load the pups on the kennel truck and go use the facilities (not very comfortable doing your business on a C17). When we came back they were gone.

No hugs, licks or pets. Almost a year together, lots of missions, pain and heartache and she was gone, just like that.

I tried to find her for years with no luck. I knew she had been retired and adopted out. Lo and behold, in 2017 I find a Facebook message from 2012 (it was in a spam folder I didn't know existed when you have no mutual friends or connections with someone). Dakota was alive, well, and being spoiled rotten in retirement.

I got to see her one more time later that year in Chicago. Hugs, tears, and some floppy tail wags. We spent a few days together with her family.

She did so much for every Marine that followed behind her. Saved us physically, and when things got really bad, saved our sanity. She was always able to remind us what waited for us back home.

She passed a few months after this picture. Rest easy girl, you earned it.