Hero dog, handler honored
Published: September 14, 2006
Loyal, faithful, dependable, helpful and reliable have all been used to describe man’s best friend. The partnership of dog and man has included assistance with herding and hunting, an early alarm system, and the companionship many know and love. At NSB Kings Bay, dog handlers have a unique relationship with their military working dogs. The dogs, along with their handlers, are deployed worldwide to support the global war on terrorism, helping to safeguard military bases and activities and to detect bombs and other explosives before they inflict harm. They are also trained to sniff out drugs and even track scents.
”Rex and I are partners and when I start to lag a bit he pushes me onward, if he lags a bit I push him to keep going,” said MA1 Christopher Calloway, a military working dog handler. ”With life’s bumps, ups and downs, Rex will always be by my side.”
Recently Rex and his handler were nominated for the Hero Dog of the Year by the War Dog Foundation. On Sept. 15, Rex and his handler won the German Shepherd Club of America award for his heroism during his deployment to Afghanistan and for his role in the prevention of drug trafficking. Rex and Calloway will go to the National Special Show on Oct. 18 in St. Louis.
”Rex is one of the finest animals I have had the opportunity to come across,” said MA1 Kyle Strobeck, the Kings Bay Kennel supervisor. ”Rex excels at every task we assign him, whether here at home or deployed we know that Rex will get the job done.”
Rex and his handler were sent to Afghanistan for a six month deployment in Dec. 2005. Leaving the states, Rex and Calloway found themselves in Kuwait waiting for a final destination to Afghanistan. In country, they were put to use helping coalition forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During his tour, he sustained a tear to his Achilles tendon, which lead to him and Rex losing their qualifications. Upon their arrival back to NSB Kings Bay in May, Calloway and Rex went straight into training for their qualifications and by June, they were fully qualified and ready to perform their duties.
”Rex is my work gauge to know if we worked enough that day, if not, Rex won’t get out of the vehicle until he feels we worked enough,” said Calloway.
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