The day I have dreaded for so long has finally arrived. My best friend of 9.5 years has crossed rainbow bridge. There are so many memories that we have shared. Ill never forget meeting him for the first time in February 2005. I was a green Handler and he was a green dog; we were both straight from the school house. He taught me a lot as a K9 Handler, but most importantly, he taught me how to trust. In 2006, on our deployment to Iraq, he was my rock, my companion and my crazy comedian. The longest we were apart for those six months was four hours. When we returned to the states, he stayed in his kennel while I took a couple days off. Ill never forget the excitement in his bark/whine when he saw me again for the first time. He refused to walk on all four paws, he wanted to walk next to me, like a person. Soon after that, while patrol training, he developed a compressed spinal cord from hitting too hard. The Vets worked day in and day out trying to fix him. He was later transferred to Lackland AFB (main Military Working Dog hub). My heart sank as I dropped him off and said goodbye for (what I thought at the time) the last time. Nearly two weeks after that (and being a pain in the rear to the Vets down there), I received the phone call I had been waiting for MWD Puck is an adoptable candidate and he will no longer be able to be utilized as an MWD due to his injury. He became clumsy after his injury, which doesnt work out for explosive dogs. December 22, 2007, Puck came HOME! We soon transferred to Guam and later back to Va. While doing my security clearance for my current position the Investigator commented, The people I have interviewed said you dont have any kids but you have Puck and hes your son. Its obvious everyone knew how important he was to me. August 2012, Puck was given 6-12 months due to a tumor on his adrenal gland. We have been very grateful of this extra time with him. We have been able to feed him steak, chicken, and as many treats as he can handle. He even learned how to train people to get him treats. I know there are so many lives he has touched to include those he met while being a therapy dog. Unfortunately, Puck developed a huge tumor (undetermined if its related to the adrenal gland tumor) that has slowly been bleeding. I know hes in a lot less pain, and it would be selfish to keep him suffering anymore. He was a fighter until he lost all strength. He will always be in my heart and there wont be a day that goes by I wont think of him. The next few days will be a struggle but I will remember the great, goofy times weve had together. To all of the MWD Handlers that gave Puck a final farewell, I can not thank you enough. You proved how close our community is. Thank you for showing up on such a short notice, it honestly meant a lot to me. To my best friend, I will forever miss you and will always love you. Until we meet again... If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. -Will Rogers MWD (ret.) Puck (H066) January 1, 2003-July 8, 2014
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 21:51:12 +0000
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