CWD Erosz & Gary Stacey
Reunited December 28, 2015
CWD Erosz EDD to his Handler Gary Stacey in IL
Gary started with AMK9 in April 2011 in May of 2011 he teamed up with Erosz They trained together April - May 2011. He was his first handler and his primary trainer. Erosz was a green 11 month old pup assigned to him. He started him on basic commands and odor recognition. He stayed with him at the hotel. His family would visit and he became part of the family quickly.They finally deployed to the middle east in August of 2011 and started training in Amman, Jordan. They trained in Amman from August 2011 to Dec 2011 then forward depoloyed to Baghdad, Iraq, for US Embassy support. They were assigned to the Baghdad Embassy Security Force (BESF) from December 2011 to December 2012.They seperated in Dec 2012. Erosz stayed at BESF and was assigned a new handler. Gary was promoted and redeployed to Balad, Iraq. He recieved all his Erosz updates through friends still assigned to BESF. Even though the information was very sporadic. He was happy with whatever word or pics he could get. Most of the info came from the BESF veterinarian, who became his vet support at Balad.Gary completed his final contract and departed Iraq in February 2014. Unfortunately Erosz was still assigned to BESF and had to stay.From February 2014 to December 2015....information on Erosz was very minimal. December 9, 2015 is when Gary first saw Erosz on K9 Hero Haven Facebook page and contacted AMK9 on how to adopt him.
CWD Erosz EDD retired at 5.6 years of age.
CWD Hugo & Scott
Reunited October 16, 2015
CWD Hugo EDD to his handler Scott in NC. Scott has 20 years of Law enforcement experience, including 6 years working overseas training Police Officers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 6 years working in narcotics, 4 years as a Canine Handler 2 ½ years in narcotics and 1 1/2 years as an EDD Handler. He has extensive skills in training Police Officers in local sheriff’s departments and in multinational forces.
CWD Hugo retired at about 6 years of age. He served in Iraq with Scott. Hugo will be enjoying retirement with his family as Scott will be returning back overseas.
K9 Roni & Phil
Reunited August 31, 2020
K9 Roni to his first handler, Phil
Phil’s story:
Phil is from Harrisburg, PA and enjoys adventuring the outdoors with his German Shorthaired Pointer “Maverick”. Shortly after high school, he enlisted into the United States Navy and served onboard USS Anzio for 4 years as an Operation Specialist.
While serving in the Navy, Phil realized he wanted to become a police officer. After completing his enlistment, he moved back to Harrisburg with his family. Phil began the process of applying to the Police Academy, taking college classes, and working part-time.
After graduating from the Police Academy, Phil was hired by a department in Centre County, PA where Phil became a K9 Handler with K9 Roni before being separated.
Roni has recently spent an amazing weekend with Phil and Maverick. Since Roni and Phil have been reunited, the noticeable bond between them is inseparable.
Needless to say, the weekend visit turned into a permanent visit. Welcome home K9 Roni!
K9 Roni is a 3.5 year old male Belgian Malinois who retired early with workability issues.
CWD Kelly2 85502 & Bill Nacy
Reunited September 18, 2018
CWD Kelly 2 to her handler Bill in Arizona:
Bill's story:
In 2010 I was contacted by American K9 Detection Services about a position as a Dual Purpose Explosives Detection/Patrol K9 Handler in Afghanistan. After I accepted the position I was sent to Hill Country Dog Center in San Antonio Texas for training. It was there that I was matched up with my new K9 Partner CWD Kelly ! From that moment on Kelly and I spent day and night together training and bonding for our journey that lied ahead. Kelly and I certified as a Dual Purpose Explosives Detection/Patrol team on July 15th 2010 by the Hill Country Dog Center & the U.S. Air Force. After our certification Kelly and I were separated as all the K9’s would then be fixed, while myself and the other handlers were sent to Ft. Benning Georgia for the Army training portion prior to deployment to Afghanistan. Upon our completion of training and medical screening at Ft. Benning we were then sent to Dubai and days later to Kandahar, Afghanistan for team assignments. Kelly and I were chosen to be stationed at Kandahar with the U.S. Army 632nd Movement Control Team. Our days and nights would be spent working 12 hour shifts outside of the base at the Kandahar Transshipment Yard, searching every vehicle that would be slotted to enter the base. Kelly and all the K9’s had several “alerts” on hidden explosives, and saved numerous lives.
In mid-2011 I left Kandahar Afghanistan and returned to the states. CWD Kelly was assigned a new handler to continue her work with AMK9, until 2018 when she was retired. On Thursday September 6th I was contacted by AMK9 who put me in touch with Anne Gibbs of K9 Hero Haven as CWD Kelly was finally retired & back in the states. I can't wait to have Kelly home with me. I really appreciate all your help in making this all happen, I still can't believe it!!
Kelly has since passed away - EOW 08/28/19, her obituiary can be found on the Memorials tab.
CWD Rocky5 44192 & Ryan Albaugh
ReunitedAugust 2, 2015
Rocky was K9 Hero Haven's very first adoption. Rocky & Ryan served 3 tours in Afghanistan and 1 in Iraq. Ryan was Rocky's first handler. Ryan wanted to adopt Rocky in 2013 but he needed to wait for Rocky to retire. Rocky started working in Afghanistan in 2010 and retired in August of 2015. Once retired he came to K9 Hero Haven. We were able to locate Ryan through mutual contacts and Ryan immediately left Tennessee, where he lived at the time, to come to PA. They were separated 4 years before being reunited.
Since then, for close to 4 years, Ryan and Rocky have been inseparable. He was able to go to work with Ryan, who owns a dog training business K9SF LLC. They were very close and spent a lot of time together enjoying retirement.
Rocky has since passed away - EOW 06/28/19, his obituary can be found on the Memorials tab.
GIVING OUR K9 HEROES THE HOMECOMING THEY DESERVE
CWD Blecky & Jason
Reunited November 6, 2019
CWD Blecky EDD to his handler, Jason in Texas
Jason’s story:
I attended the Military Working Dog Handler’s Course, as a Dept of Army Civilian Police Officer, at Lackland Airforce Base, San Antonio, Texas. I graduated MWD Handler’s Course in Jan 2010. I received the “TOP DOG” award for Block 1 and Block 2 when I graduated.
I was a MWD K9 Handler at Fort Hood Army Base, Ft Hood, TX until Oct 2012.
Mar 2013 I went to work for AMK9 as a K9 Handler, assigned to the Baghdad Embassy Security Forces (BESF), Baghdad, Iraq.
Explosive Detector Dog (EDD) Blecky was assigned to me in Aug 2014. EDD Blecky and I worked posts on the US Embassy and posts in the Green Zone in Baghdad. We were responsible for Explosive Detection of vehicles, buildings, and items coming into the Embassy Compound and the Green Zone. EDD Blecky was my K9 partner until Jun 2016.
CWD Blecky EDD is a male Dutch Shepherd. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bleckey has since passed away - EOW 11/01/20, his obituary can be found on the Memorials tab.
CWD Ryder & Shawn
Reunited February 2, 2021
Shawn’s story:
Shawn started working with his MWD in the Army in 2004. During his time in the Army, he deployed to Iraq in 2006 with his MWD Demon. Upon his return Demon was retired to his previous handler. He was then assigned to another MWD named Lando for the remainder of his time in the service.
Shawn has since worked as a handler, trainer and instructor for several Private Contracting companies with multiple rotations to various places in the Middle East.
Shawn came in contact with Ryder while he was an instructor for a large security company. Ryder didn’t test well. He didn’t have” what it took" to make it as a CWD. He struggled with severe separation anxiety in a kennel or crate and it was difficult to keep weight on him.
Shawn took him home where he could start working with him daily to help rehabilitate him to help him find a home. Ryder was a quick learner with every task asked of him and he adjusted to home life very quickly. He required a lot of patience and exercise as most dogs of this breed do.
After working with him and taking him every where with him for almost 2 months, he found him what appeared to be a suitable home. Unfortunately do to several factors Ryder had to be returned after about 5 months.
Once again he took Ryder home and continued to work with him, got him back to his ideal weight and was exercising him daily. Within the first day back together it was like old times and they bonded very quickly. He was once again eager to learn and please, completing every tasked asked of him.
Unfortunately, he left the company that he was with and was not able to keep Ryder at the time. After calling to check on him he found out that he was with K9 Hero Haven. Shawn is looking forward to giving Ryder the home he deserves and can enjoy running daily and going hiking again in the mountains.
CWD Ryder is a 2 year old male Belgian Malinois. He was in an EDD program but was pulled due to workability issues and separation anxiety when inside a crate or kennel.
CWD Chira & Michael Monk
Reunited August 26, 2015
Michael was CWD Chira PEDD's first handler in 2010-2011; they served in Afghanistan. When Chira first arrived state-side in July 2015, she was very sick. She was treated locally and at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, NJ, a specialized animal hopsital. She recovered and on August 26, 2015 she was reunited with Michael, after being apart for 4 years. She now lives in Texas.
Chira has since passed away - EOW 12/29/20, her obituary can be found on the Memorials tab.
K9 Bas & Eiichiro
Reunited May 8, 2021
K9 Bas to his first handler, Eiichiro in Alaska.
Eiichiro’s story:
Service time frame:
8/7/2015 - approximately 3/12/2017
BAS and I graduated at U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Canine Training Center on 8/7/2015.
He was training to detect narcotics such as Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, and Ecstasy, Methamphetamine as well as concealed human.
We were assigned at San Diego Field office, covering from San Diego International Airport to land borders such as San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate, and Calexico Port of Entry.
Although he contributed for many discoveries of drugs and concealed humans, in early 2017, he was reassigned to Border Patrol San Diego Sector because they can provide the training and working environment that the canine deserved.
In late April 2021, BAS was retired. I was able to adopt him from K9 Hero Haven.
K9 Bas is a male Dutch Shepherd. He will be 7 on May 14th.
CWD Sleepy & Erik
Reunited December 19, 2019
CWD Sleepy to his handler Erik:
Erik’s story :
I was a police officer in NJ for 20 years from 1989-2009. From 2002-2009 I was a K9 handler and SWAT member. Retired in 2009 and in 2013, I started missing working with the dogs so I decided to go to Iraq as a contractor.
I was partnered with Sleepy right away and we were together until 2014 when I got injured and had to go home. At the time I believed that I’d be back in a short time and Sleepy and I would continue our partnership. However, While recuperating, I was told that Sleepy had been reassigned to another location.
I thought I would never see him again until someone saw the Facebook post and tagged me in it recognizing him as my old partner. I knew right away that it was fate for us to be together again.
When I left him in Iraq, I told him that I’d always love him and that we’d see each other again. I feel it’s Devine intervention and fate that has brought us together again. He deserves a retirement of being a spoiled couch potato with a plush grass yard and tons of love and that’s exactly what he’s going to get!
CWD Sleepy EDD is a male Black and Tan German Shepherd. He will be 10 in April 2020. He recently retired after several years of working in Iraq. He is deaf but responds well to hand signals.
CWD Ali 88911 & Troy Sutton
Reunited June 5, 2018
CWD Ali to his handler Troy in NC
Troy’s story:
I served in the US Army for 24 years and retired in 2011. I began contracting working explosive detector dogs at the US Embassy in Baghdad. I picked up CWD Ali in April of 2012 and had him as my partner until he retired in Dec 2017.
Ali had a nickname because of the area we worked, it being a Muslim Country, having a dog named Ali was frowned upon so I started calling him Cletus.
CWD Ali is an 8 year old male Dutch shepherd who retired from Iraq in Dec 2017. He then came to K9 Hero Haven. Troy needed to head back to Iraq so we placed him in a foster home with Bobbie, one of our volunteers. K9 Hero Haven offered to provide a place for Ali until Troy could return home in June.
Ali has since passed away - EOW 11/24/19, his obituary can be found on the Memorials tab.
CWD Joe & Mike
Reunited August 15, 2021
CWD Joe to his handler, Mike in GA
Mike’s story:
Prior to becoming a K-9 Handler and working in law enforcement, I spent 20 plus years in the military spreading my years between the Navy, Army, and GA Army National Guard. I was a Deputy Sheriff for 15 years in the state of Georgia and the last 7 years I worked as full patrol and narcotics K9 handler.
With my love for dogs, I knew I wanted to continue to be a dog handler and expand my knowledge of working with dogs. So, I decided to apply to Triple Canopy to be a dog handler overseas. I employed with Triple Canopy in February 2018 and was paired up with EDD Joe in NC where we spent 6 weeks training and starting our bonding process. EDD Joe had deployed to Iraq several times prior to us being paired together.
EDD Joe was more of the trainer then trainee. He was very proficient in all areas of training and worked very well on his own. Upon completion of our six weeks of training we certified in Virginia. Upon completion of certification, we deployed to the Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq in June of 2018.
Upon our arrival in Baghdad, EDD Joe and I continued our bonding process by training, playing, and taking long nightly walks together. We spent approximately 18 months together, deploying several times over that period prior to me getting hurt. Once I got hurt, we were separated. EDD Joe went to work in Hawaii while I stayed home to deal with my injuries.
On August 12, 2021, I received a call from Anne of K9 Hero Haven asking me if I would like to adopt EDD Joe. Without hesitation I told Anne I wanted to bring EDD Joe home.
Upon his arrival home EDD Joe will be introduced to his new human and K-9 family members. He will be able to run around 1.5 acres of fenced land and enjoy being a dog. He will be getting all the loves he can handle. I look forward to giving CWD Joe a wonderful retirement with my wife, Pamela and my grandson, Hudson.
CWD Joe EDD is an 8.5 year old black German Shepherd who recently retired from Iraq. He will be 9 in December.
K9 Maya & Shawn
Reunited June 29, 2023
K9 Maya to her handler, Shawn in NJ
Shawn & Maya’s story:
I started with the K9 Unit in 2011, and Maya was my very first dog. We worked extremely well together. She was Top Dog for most of the years she was in service.
In 2014 Maya alerted me to a very life threatening situation, that potentially saved my life; and I hold that very dear to me.
Maya is one of those dogs that always wants to work. If she could choose work over affection she would, but now in her senior years that’s finally changing. It’s a great feeling to be able to have her at home and spend great times with her in a new environment aside from work.
K9 Maya came to K9 Hero Haven in May of 2018 due to some dominance issues and some issues with aggression. Her handler had tried keeping her but unfortunately, she was not adapting well into family life.
In the past 5 years we worked with her and acclimated her into retirement life.
Maya developed arthritis in her knees, and as she approaches her 14th birthday on 9/11, we both feel she will love to spend her remaining time with her handler, Shawn enjoying a “bucket list” of fun adventures.
TCWD Tina & Matt
Reunited December 15, 2018
CWD Tina to her handler Matthew in PA.
Matthew's story:
Matt is a US Army Veteran who has served in the Iraq war in 2011. He continued serving after he left the Army, working with the Department of State as a government contractor. He worked at the US Embassy in Iraq since 2014.
Tina has been with Matt in Iraq since 2014. They have been on three different Iraq contracts together. They separated in December of 2017 due to her age and she was moved to another contract. Tina then retired in September of 2018 and headed back to the US. Matt was still working in Iraq with his current K9 named Bali. K9 Hero Haven agreed to keep Tina in a foster home with Bobbie, a volunteer with K9 Hero Haven, for Matt until he was able to return home.
CWD Val & Jess
Reunited February 3, 2020
CWD Val EDD to her handler, Jess in Tennessee
Jess’s Story:
I joined the United States Army in June of 2004 with the MOS of Military Police. I deployed with my Military Police Unit to Iraq in 2004 – 2005. I returned to Fort Bragg and was assigned to the 82nd Military Police Company and deployed to Afghanistan 2007- 2008 where I re-enlisted for Military Working Dog School. I completed MWD school at Lackland Air Force Base and deployed out of Fort Bragg as an explosive’s detection dog handler to Iraq 2009 – 2010. I was a MWD handler until I separated from the service in 2013.
After separating from the military, I worked for AMK9 as a K9 handler assigned to the Baghdad Embassy Security Forces (BESF), Baghdad Iraq.
Explosives Detector Dog (EDD) Val was assigned to me in February 2015. EDD Val and I worked posts on the US Embassy and check points outside of the Embassy in Baghdad. EDD Val and I were paired from February 2015 until November 2016.
CWD Val EDD is a female yellow lab. She will be 8 years old in March 2020. She recently retired from Iraq.
CWD Wildo & Tim Harris
Reunited April 3, 2016
CWD Wildo to Tim Harris in NC who is Wildo's handler who he served with in Iraq
Tim"s story:
I was a Deputy Sheriff for 24 years working patrol, narcotics, and K9 handler. With my love for dogs, I knew I wanted to continue to be a dog handler when I was employed with AMK9 in March 2014 and was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in October 2014.
Upon my arrival I was introduced to EDD Wildo and we bonded with each other petty quickly. Wildo was already in Iraq since 2012 and had several different handlers none lasted very long, Wildo found himself sitting in a kennel for long periods of time hoping for a permanent partner.
Wildo and I worked together, played together and even ran together; serving 19 months together.
Upon his retirement he will be able to slow down and relax on our small ranch and enjoy the horses and other dogs... He will now be able to be a dog and enjoy the spoiled life like all the others!!
K9 Flynn & Kevin
Reunited April 10, 2021
This is Flynn’s and Kevin's story:
Flynn is originally from Holland, where he started out as a KNPV sport K9. After Flynn’s KNPV career he flew to Texas where he was owned/trained by a retired LEO. From there Flynn flew to NY where I took over as his new Handler. Flynn and I spent several years together as a Police Narcotics K9 team, trained in criminal apprehension, building searches, narcotics detection, tracking of missing individuals and criminals fleeing from the Police. During our time together Flynn helped apprehend and take into custody many dangerous and violent individuals, helping to keep not only the public safe, but Police Officers as well. Flynn also contributed to the war on drugs by detecting the location of drugs which may not have been easily found by a Police Officer alone. Upon Flynn’s retirement from service, and a new career position for myself, I began to realize that raising a family with two young daughters, and a retired but still very active working dog was going to be more difficult than I anticipated. Since the time I took control of handling K9 Flynn, I was constantly trying to undo the trauma scars that Flynn had acquired prior to him and I being together. This was a very slow and difficult process as Flynn unquestionably suffered from PTSD. Flynn was a very high drive but nervous working dog. Even though Flynn and I had made good progress with his behavioral scars, I ultimately knew keeping Flynn in our house with two young children who did not understand Flynn the way I did, was a risk. At the time I felt the best thing I could do for Flynn and my family was to try and find a retirement home for Flynn, with an individual willing and able to spend the time rehabilitating him.
Nineteen months after I said goodbye to Flynn, I have not stopped thinking about him. Realizing that the best person who could give Flynn the retirement he deserves was probably me, I began to think about whether I could make it work with my family. After spending time talking to my wife, and many nights unable to fall asleep thinking about Flynn, we have decided that the time has come where our family and Flynn could safely and happily be together. I am really excited to be able to bring Flynn back home and give him the retirement life he has earned.
This would not have been possible if it were not for K9 Hero haven. I am truly grateful and blessed to have found Anne and her organization, who have dedicated their lives to helping any retired working dogs. K9 Hero Haven is truly that, a haven for working dogs. I am forever in debt to K9 Hero haven and this opportunity to reunite with my partner.
CWD Cobra & Doug Provance
Reunited March 17, 2016
Doug served 6 years in the Air Force as a K9 handler from 1982-1988. Following his military service, he worked with Law enforcement in New Mexico from 1989-1994 and Nebraska's Sheriff office and police department from 1994 - 2011 where he worked his way up to police chief. He then started with AMK9 as a K9 Handler in 2011 until 2015 where he served in Iraq with CWD Cobra as his only handler.
CWD Cobra was retired while Doug was still in Iraq. So K9 Hero Haven kept Cobra in foster care until Doug was able to return home for him.