Chasing retirement

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kristoffer Kaubisch
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  It was her first day on the job and she was taking me out on our first walk as a team. She grabbed my leash lightly, so I had to mess with her. Don’t underestimate my strength. I lunged forward and she let go of the leash instantly. It was too easy. She chased me for a good 10 minutes. Does she even know what she’s doing? Finally, she yelled, “Loose dog!” signaling the other handlers in the kennels to come out and chase me. They finally caught me and she had learned her lesson. This was going to be an interesting partnership.

“He’s a goof ball,” said Senior Airman Amanda Puryear, 5th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler. “Since he is so old, he doesn’t do much, but he likes attention.”

MWD Dax will soon retire from the U.S. Air Force after 10 years of honorable service.

“Dax is retiring for medical reasons. It was discovered that he has arthritis,” said Tech Sgt. Christopher Averill, 5th SFS MWD kennel master. “That paired with him being 10 years old, the best thing to do is to let him live a normal life while he can.”

Dax, a Belgian Malinois, started his distinguished career in 2006 at the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Training and Breeding Program at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. MWDs train to detect drugs, explosives and accompany handlers on patrol during their training.

All military working dogs and handlers are trained at the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland AFB, which is fondly called the “Dog School.”

When the dogs are first purchased by the training squadron, each puppy is given to a foster parent, volunteers from the 341st TRS, who will keep them for the first 10 months to socialize the puppies and observe them.

After one year at Lackland AFB, specializing in explosive detection, Dax was sent to his first and only duty station, Minot Air Force Base, N.D., where he ended up serving nine years.

Dax served a long, distinguished career in the Air Force and will now get the chance to enjoy his retirement with his last handler, Puryear, who started training with him in February of this year.

“I haven’t had him very long compared to the other handlers who had him before me, but we bonded from the beginning,” said Puryear. “I feel like him and I do very well together. It’s very cool to be his last handler.”

The MWD’s current handler has the priority to adopt the K-9 when the time comes for retirement, so Puryear was asked if she would like to adopt Dax. She gladly accepted.

“I will be very happy when Dax retires and I get to take him home.” Puryear said. “Who doesn’t want to adopt the first dog they ever worked with? It will be cool to see him be a normal dog.”

Together, dog and handler make a team. The bond between dog and handler is like any other military relationship; it’s all about wingmanship and only grows stronger over time.

“I chose Puryear as his handler based on both of their personalities,” said Averill. “Dax has a very welcoming personality and just wants compassion in return from his handler.”

Averill also added that they make a great team. With Puryear being a new handler, Dax was able to provide her with a good foundation that she could build on because of Dax's years of experience. He also believes their companionship goes beyond the duty day, which is why he’s excited to see Dax clock out for the final time.

“Seeing Dax retire will be one of the highlights of my tenure as kennel master," said Averill. “The best thing we can do for him is to give him the opportunity to live a normal life as a pet and a veteran.”

Dax will not receive a paycheck when he retires; however, he will receive a forever home.