Soldier lets emotions show holding dog in his arms for first time after 3 years apart
Serving in the army is an honorable duty. However, it can get challenging, lonely, and depressing.
That’s why a soldier always welcomes having an uplifting support system in any way while deployed.
U.S. Army Specialist Vance McFarland had been deployed to Afghanistan with Tactical Explosive Detection Dog (TEDD) Ikar.
They had already worked together prior to their deployment while McFarland trained as a Dog Handler and Ikar trained to be a TEDD.
They were thick as thieves.
“Ikar and I were a perfect match from the start. We were one of the few original dog teams that were paired from the beginning that made it. Out of the 25 dog teams that started the T.E.D.D. program only nine of us made it all the way through the first time and even less made it through the program with their originally assigned dog. Ikar was only a little over a year old when we certified for the military and graduated from the T.E.D.D. program. He was a “Green Dog” meaning that I was his very first handler, on his first deployment, to find real live explosives for the very first time,” U.S. Army Specialist Vance McFarland
told Mission K9 Rescue.
They worked together, slept together, and played together every day during that tour.
The two built a strong, unbreakable bond at that time, which made living and working in a war zone much better to deal with and they made many good memories together.
“Sometimes were good, sometimes were stressful. Having Ikar definitely made it a lot better. Having a dog with you on deployment is almost like having a little bit of home. Other soldiers were jealous, they always wanted to come up and pet Ikar. We made the best of it,” McFarland recalled
That’s why McFarland couldn’t forget Ikar.
It broke his heart when the contract company took Ikar away to be brought back to Vohne Liche Kennels (VLK), the place where they trained together, almost immediately after arriving back Stateside.
Ikar had already been scheduled for another tour so he had to go back.
They only had each other long enough to take a photo.
His heart may be broken but McFarland knew Ikar had to do his duty as a TEDD.
He would later find out though that, after one more tour, the contract company abandoned Ikar and his fellow TEDD dogs.
“The contract company had told the Army that they had a contract with these dogs to be repurposed and used again. They did not… they did not pay the kennel owner; they kind of gave him a bit of the run-around,” Kristen Maurer, president of Mission K9 Rescue, explained.
Ikar ended up at Mt. Hope Kennels in Richmond, Virginia.
The contract company told the kennel owner they’ll only be there for four to five weeks.
It was much longer.
The dogs ended up living there for 17 months and counting.
Mission K9 Rescue took the dogs in and helped rehome them with their handlers.
They posted pictures of the dogs and asked for help from their followers and other army veterans to help locate their handlers.
That’s how they learned about McFarland and Ikar.
“I got Facebook stalked to be honest with you. I woke up one morning and had all kinds of messages on Facebook. People were like, ‘Is this your dog? Were you a dog handler in the Army?’ And I was like ‘Yea! What’s going on?’ That’s when I heard he had been abandoned and then saved and that I get the chance to adopt him now,” McFarland said.
Knowing they’ll be reunited once again, McFarland looked forward to finally provide for Ikar a forever home.
But how will their reunion go?
Will Ikar still remember him?
Well, McFarland didn’t need to worry because as soon as Ikar spotted McFarland, he rushed to him to give him a lot of love.
And now, a pampered life of a retired service dog with McFarland, his wife, and two dog siblings awaited Ikar.
A year later, Mission K9 Rescue received an update from McFarland’s wife, Jamey.
“I am still so thankful for what Mission K9 Rescue did, and their efforts to do this… Never in a million years did I think we would see Ikar again after my husband had to turn him over… Thank you Mission K9 Rescue for bringing home a piece of my husband that was missing until last year,” Jamey told Mission K9 Rescue.
See Ikar’s touching reunion with McFarland in the video below!
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Source: YouTube – USA Today, KTVB, USA Today, Facebook – Mission K9 Rescue, Facebook – Mission K9 Rescue