IED detection dogs rely on their sense of smell to find roadside bombs and keep their human partners alive. But one former IED detection dog depends on his sense of smell now more than ever since he lost his vision.
In May 2010, David Herrera was assigned to a 2-year-old IED detection dog named Kash. After training together in South Carolina, they were deployed to Afghanistan and were responsible for clearing bombs from the roads. “We’re in clearance, so our main job is to make sure there’s no bombs in the roads,” said David, who credits Kash for saving his life and the lives of his fellow soldiers on multiple occasions.
Yet when they returned home in 2011, Kash was paired with a new handler. “I haven’t seen him since we came back from Afghanistan in May 2011…” David said. So when he found out Kash was retired and had been adopted by another handler in Texas, he reached out and asked if he could visit.
“He came up to me and started rubbing his head against me,” David said. “At first, he was looked a little hesitant, but it made sense. He was trying to smell who was there, and once he knew it was me, he was so excited. I didn’t even know he was blind until afterwards.”
“I’m just glad I got to see him again after so long,” David said. “We had so many great times out there.”
Watch the entire video below to see the touching moment this soldier is reunited with former IED detection dog.
Can you believe this blind dog recognized his former handler from just his scent? Let us know what you think in the comments below and please SHARE this with friends on Facebook.
[Featured image: Facebook/David Herrera]
Soldier Reunited With Former Blind K-9 Partner is an article from: LifeDaily