THE PET-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP: A Story of Bravery, Courage, and Unbreakable Bond

Ask any pet owner and they’ll have no problem telling you that pet ownership has many benefits. This bond is mutually beneficial for pets as well as humans. Petting them alone releases endorphins for both parties. Pets decrease stress, give unconditional love like no other, improve physical and mental health, combat loneliness and provide social support. They quickly become a part of the family. But can you imagine how much stronger that bond would be if you and your pet had a special purpose together?

Meet David. He's a 12-year-old Belgian Malinois, the eldest of two other pet siblings and adored by his loving family for over a decade. His favorite past times are chewing a Kong or tennis ball, loving his humans and getting into the trash. Seems like the typical family dog, yes?

Well, David has led an exceptional life. He’s actually a retired military dog who was part of the Army’s Tactical Explosive Detection Dog (TEDD) program. At the age of two, he was assigned to Jeremy, an Infantryman (11B) Sergeant stationed at Fort Drum, NY in the 10^th Mountain Division. Their 13-week pre-deployment training was crucial in developing the trust and strong connection that would be necessary to successfully complete their missions. They were then deployed together for nine months to Ghazni, Afghanistan where they performed route clearance patrol missions. These missions are necessary to secure an important route and render it safe. David successfully found many bombs prior to detonation, saving countless lives.

While most military dogs are assigned to one base throughout their career, their handlers typically rotate with each duty, but each bond made is one of a kind. David only had one other handler for a short time prior to Jeremy.

Once they returned from their deployment, the TEDD program was discontinued and David was sent back to his original training location in North Carolina to be evaluated for cross-training in aggression/bite work. He failed miserably as his family will attest to the fact that he doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body.

In the meantime, Jeremy had made it well known to anyone who would answer his calls and emails that he was interested in adopting David if he was ever retired, as it was not always commonplace at that time for ex-handlers to be able to adopt their dogs. Finally, after just about a year, Jeremy got the call that David was being discharged from the military and was up for adoption. He flew to Colorado, where David currently was, driving home across the country with his best bud riding shotgun. David has happily lived with Jeremy and his family since.

When I got the initial inquiry from David’s family that they were interested in having professional family portraits done this past fall, and the fact that it was centered around the purpose of honoring a military dog while he was still happy and healthy, I was excited and honored. I also applauded them for having the foresight to create these pet and family portraits. Too many people wish they had been proactive in creating this level of visual memories. Your pet doesn’t have to have an exceptional career to deserve a professional pet portrait. They don’t need to be a superhero, just your hero. 

Clearly these two created a bond to last a lifetime and with Jeremy’s dedication, devotion, and perseverance it’s now an unbreakable bond. Because of his drive to reconnect, they’ve been able to enjoy many years together beyond their service.

I’m sure I speak for many in sincerely thanking both Jeremy and David for their bravery, courage, time, and sacrifice for this country and the critical role they played in saving countless lives. I’m sure we can’t even begin to imagine the experiences they both shared while serving. What an honor for me to have been chosen as their portrait photographer to create their family and honorable pet portraits, visual memories that speak to the heart and will forever connect them to this point in their lives and the many years with David. No words can thank them adequately enough!