These dogs go to the most dangerous and extreme environments.
They're the same ones our soldiers go to.
That dog is your patrol buddy.
You're with them 12 hours a day.
I absolutely could trust Szultan 100%.
They have to perform at a level that we can't understand.
Leaving the military was really hard for me,
and I didn't think I'd see him again.
Military working dogs are owned by the Department of Defense.
They train to go into combat zones.
They're trained around loud noises.
Good boy.
They train to bite.
Military service members train to protect our country.
And the dogs are no different.
They've been through things together that we'll never understand.
That dog is your patrol buddy. You're with them eight, 12 hours a day.
It's super important to mesh with your dog because you need to know his tiny little quirks.
If you miss a little head turn or a little tail wag,
that could be somebody's life.
Good boy.
Hold him!
Hold him, buddy.
Hold him.
I was Szultan's first handler.
He has his own unique personality.
He was very temperamental.
A ridiculous amount of work went into Szultan.
He wanted to do things his way.
He also had the strongest bite.
He crushed my steel-toe boot.
And I was like, "All right, buddy. We're not gonna do that anymore."
He definitely left a lot of bruises on a lot of people.
I did make a deal with Szultan.
I was like, "Hey, look, man. I know you're grumpy.
I need you to not bite me, please.
I'll respect you,
you respect me, and we will figure this out together."
After we did that, we started meshing.
I was super proud of him.
I absolutely could trust Szultan 100%.
After years of working with these dogs,
it definitely did a lot of wear and tear on my body.
I started having issues with my hands.
I kept dropping the leash.
So I went to the doctor, and I had two spine surgeries
that put me out of commission.
So I got medically retired.
Leaving Szultan was really hard for me.
You have your pets at home, and of course, you love them, but it's different.
It's undescribable how bonded you are to your dog.
I don't think I'll ever have a love for a career like I did working dogs.
When you love it, it doesn't even feel like a job anymore.
It was one day you're in, the next day you're out, and
then you're like, "Wow, what do I do now?"
I thought about Szultan quite frequently.
It was a hard transition,
wondering if he was going to get retired or how he was doing.
I would message a couple of people just to check on him, see how he's doing.
After about two or three years, I kind of lost touch with people
and I moved up to Pittsburgh to start going to school.
When most handlers leave the military,
they never know if they'll ever see their dog again.
And the story for these dogs 20 years ago was vastly different than today.
The military dogs were not being reunited with their handlers when they retired.
They were being euthanized at a pretty rapid rate.
Because of the public outcry for these dogs,
laws have changed where they do find their handlers.
One day I got a random Instagram message
from the handler that picked Szultan up right after me,
I hadn't spoken to him in years, asking me if I would be interested in taking Szultan
because he was getting retired.
When they retire, the handler that currently has him has the option to take him home.
I think for some of these dogs, if they're dog aggressive
or food aggressive, it makes it difficult because some people can't take that home.
And I was a little concerned that he would get euthanized.
Nobody in the kennels wanted Szultan,
but I said, "Yes, I'll take him," because he couldn't have just went to anybody.
So I had to come get Szultan
in, like, a two-week time span.
I was kind of in panic mode.
How am I going to go get Szultan?
And that's why I called Mission K9, to see if they could help me figure something out.
We get calls from handlers
almost daily and because they just don't have the financial means to get their dog.
Charleston is like 10 hours away.
I couldn't miss school. I couldn't miss work.
I remember her calling me.
I asked if maybe they could ship him up to me, if that was an option.
Absolutely not. That's not how this works.
Give me a date and we'll go get him and we'll bring him to you.
That's it?
Um, thank you.
I was just like, "That's what we're here for."
What Angela is experiencing is a pretty common issue,
and once the dog retires, no matter where they are,
they are not considered a military service member anymore.
And so they have become a pet, not a vet.
And so the military is not allowed to put a pet on a flight,
so they'll ask us to step in and get the dog home.
Hi, Sheba.
Our mission is that we rescue, reunite, rehome,
rehabilitate and repair any retired working dog that has served mankind.
We've reunited
just over 500 retired military working dogs and their handlers.
It never gets old.
It gets a little addictive, getting them back to their handlers.
Oh, who's a good boy?
Hi!
Come here. Oh, thank you.
Mmmm, mmm, muah!
As far as Szultan's concerned,
when it's a dog that we've been told has some behavioral issues,
we're very respectful of what we know they're capable of, so we'll drive him.
The plan to get Szultan is we're going to fly from Texas to South Carolina,
pick him up, and we're going to rent a car and drive him to Angela.
Hi, Szultan.
The last time I saw Szultan was about four years ago.
I'm excited.
Nervous.
She's actually calling.
Hey, OK, so we just, we just went to Building 11.
If you back up just a little bit, we are right here.
OK, get down.
Szultan. Big dude. I know, big dude.
Hi, bud. I know it's so scary.
I know.
Hi, bud.
I know, big guy. I know. It's OK. It's all so new.
Aww, you guys.
Thank you.
Welcome to the pack, bud.
Welcome to the pack.
We came through every kind of weather, but it was good.
Szultan was perfect. He did great.
It's super emotional to finally meet them,
just because of what they do for handlers.
Still trying not to cry.
I hope that Szultan and Angela just have a great time during his retirement.
He's worked very hard and it's time for him to be on a sofa
and to just get spoiled and loved.
And Angela will definitely do that.
Aww, boys.
The last couple of days,
he's mellowed out more than I've seen him mellow out in seven years.
Having Szultan come back,
it's definitely like having a piece of the Air Force with me.
I'm looking forward to the summer
when I can go sit on a patio and have a couple of drinks with my buddy,
Szultan.