OGDEN — For eight years, regulars at Hill Air Force Base may count on to see Kay sniffing round their vehicles and vehicles on the gate, or rummaging via the dorm rooms of young airmen, looking for narcotics.
“As far drug detection capability, Kay was it,” Tech. Sgt. John Cooper, Hill’s kennel grasp, stated. “It’s a pretty big mission.”
Then, in November 2023, the army working canine couldn’t carry out the obedience course or bounce right into a car with out being in apparent ache, and ran with a hunched again to compensate for the ache. When he was dropped at the vet, they discovered Kay had a spinal nerve situation. “We ended up having home care for Kay,” Cooper stated, “He was cycling through different handlers’ houses.” Though the German shepherd’s retirement was imminent, they hadn’t determined who would undertake him.
Like many working dogs, Kay was bought from Germany and shipped, together with a whole bunch of different puppies, to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas — the mecca of canine coaching for all branches of the army. Those that handed coaching may very well be despatched all around the world, working in numerous army particulars. After finishing his coaching, Kay spent his total profession at Hill.
A celebration of years of service
In February, the bottom celebrated the army canine’s eight years of service with a particular ceremony, giving him a canine model of the Air and Space Force Commendation Medal, a cheeseburger and a brand new toy.
“I’ll be honest, it’s more just entertaining for the people to see,” Cooper stated. “A lot of people don’t know a lot about what goes on with the working dogs. Some people don’t even know they even exist here at Hill.”
When a working canine retires, which is a uncommon occasion on the small Hill kennel, his handler will sometimes undertake him. Kay’s handler tragically handed away from most cancers final yr, and Kay hasn’t had a delegated handler since. Kay’s coach, the final person to work him, already had three dogs at home.
Kay was present process rounds of steroid injections in his again and being watched by completely different households as he started the method of unlearning his patrol coaching to attack on command. “He transferred over really fast,” Cooper stated. “As far as not making him want to bite a person, that took maybe a week of training.” Cooper stated, now, any form of aggression must be deliberately compelled by the handler.
After biking via homes for 3 months, Kay was staying at Cooper’s home for a few days when Cooper’s spouse Marlayna fell in love. Cooper had no intention of retaining the canine, however Kay rapidly grew to become a everlasting fixture of his family.
Kay nonetheless likes to work, and Cooper says he’s extraordinarily energetic for a shepherd his age. The new health routine is popping right into a interest for each Marlayna and Kay, retaining them each as energetic as doable, climbing and walking.
“He follows her around the house everywhere,” Cooper stated. “He’s like her shadow now.”
