Current:Home > MyA happy retirement: Marine K-9s reunite with first handlers-InfoLens
A happy retirement: Marine K-9s reunite with first handlers
View Date:2024-12-23 10:48:34
In Okinawa, Japan, they conducted inspections for drugs, tracked missing persons and detected explosives, but medical issues forced an end to their storied military careers.
Thankfully Poker and Aida, both German shepherds, had Marine Corps handlers eager to reunite with them after their service, and a charity that helped to make it happen.
"I'm so happy to have him back, get to train him again, let him be a dog, let him live his life," said Poker's owner, Marine Corps Sgt. Isaac Weissend, who now trains military dog handlers at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
Poker was the first working dog he trained, Weissend told USA TODAY, and was by his side doing security sweeps with the U.S. Secret Service ahead of a visit by President Joe Biden to South Korea in 2022 – the same year he had to leave Poker behind when he was reassigned.
Aida, meanwhile, had been working alongside Dalton Stone, a Marine Corps sergeant at the time, and Weissend’s close friend in Okinawa, where they were stationed and met in 2019. Aida learned from Stone how to track and locate people. She traveled with him to the U.S. for advanced training.
"Tracking through the jungles and around bases through different obstacles never got old," Stone wrote in an email to USA TODAY. But he, too, had to leave his trusted companion behind in Japan in 2022, not knowing if he would see her again when he left the Marine Corps.
Both dogs retired from the Marines this year for medical reasons and the men knew they had to adopt them.
So it was a teary moment in Tyler, Texas, recently when both dogs reunited with their best-friend handlers. And it was first time American Humane facilitated a four-way reunion.
“It was an honor to help two best friends bring their other best friends home,” said Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane, which also pledged to pay veterinarian bills for Aida and Poker for the rest of their lives. “All four of these military heroes deserve our gratitude and support after serving our country.”
Weissend now looks forward to giving Poker a relaxed life at home. He still sniffs around the house but is learning to unwind and roam freely, to retire doggy-style.
"Absolutely 100% wouldn't change a thing," Weissend said. "I'm super happy I was able to get him."
Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @KrystalRNurse.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Lost luggage? This new Apple feature will let you tell the airline exactly where it is.
- Maryland cancels debt for parole release, drug testing fees
- California vineyard owner says he was fined $120K for providing free housing to his employee
- Colorado judge who sentenced election denier Tina Peters to prison receives threats
- 5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
- Colorado judge who sentenced election denier Tina Peters to prison receives threats
- You like that?!? Falcons win chaotic OT TNF game. Plus, your NFL Week 5 preview 🏈
- Christina Hall Lists Her Tennessee Home for Sale Amid Divorce From Josh Hall
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
- Rape survivor and activist sues ex-Michigan State coach Mel Tucker for defamation
Ranking
- Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
- Keanu Reeves crashes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in pro auto racing debut
- Ken Paxton sues TikTok for violating new Texas social media law
- Four Downs: A Saturday of complete college football chaos leaves SEC race up for grabs
- Trump ally Steve Bannon blasts ‘lawfare’ as he faces New York trial after federal prison stint
- Billy Shaw, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Buffalo Bills great, dead at 85
- Is Boar's Head deli meat safe to eat? What experts say amid listeria outbreak
- Why do dogs sleep so much? Understanding your pet's sleep schedule
Recommendation
-
Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
-
Jamie Foxx's Daughter Corinne Foxx Says She Celebrated Engagement in Dad's Rehab Room Amid Health Crisis
-
Pete Alonso keeps Mets' storybook season alive with one mighty swing
-
Man deemed violent predator caught after removing GPS monitor, escaping and prompting 3-day search
-
15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
-
Bad News, Bears? States Take Legal Actions to End Grizzlies’ Endangered Species Protections
-
Ruby Franke's Daughter Slams Trash Lifetime Movie About Her Family
-
'CEO of A List Smiles' charged with practicing dentistry without license in Atlanta