Military Dog Is SO Happy To Finally Be Home With His Dad | The Dodo Reunited

Alright Bach, let's get you home. Oh yeah, you ready. That's a good boy. Good boy. Alright, let's get you home Bubba. Today Bach and I are going to be reunited. At the moment here, I'm so ready. We're driving across San Francisco now and we're making our way. I think he'll take this bed and this toy. In January, Bach started limping. I took him to the vet and found out that he had torn cruciate ligament, which is basically a dog's ACL. Can you see the rainbow Bach? Bach at that time was seven years old. He's not a good candidate for surgery, but he is a good candidate for adoption. I was like, I can take him home. You're resting here in Reno and you actually had to drive through a snowstorm to get here. Dog's always been a part of my life. When I went to join the Air Force, that's the first thing I asked. What do I have to do to be a military working dog handler? In 2017, I got orders to Osan Air Base in South Korea. And when I arrived on station there, they brought me to Bach. Here was this little German Shepherd that was just waiting patiently. He knew that something was coming. It was an instant connection. We just, we clicked. We were a team that absolutely were meant to be together. Having Bach when I was away from my family was huge. I'm already away from my son who was one, kind of missing out on some of the big milestones that people normally get to see at that age. My son Christopher wanted to do some sports. I wasn't there like I normally wanted to be. For me, Korea, I knew was going to be a year-long assignment. Knowing that, you don't want to get super attached because you know you're having to give this dog away, but at the same time, it's very hard not to get attached. I was ecstatic to return to my family. I still felt bad that I had to leave Bach over there, but I just, I knew in my mind that, don't worry, he's coming home. Not yet, but he is coming home. You remember a guy named Technical Sergeant Kane? Did he ever talk to you about a place called Boise, Idaho? We'll be driving up from Mountain Home Air Force Base into downtown Boise, and the reunification with Bach will be happening down there, which is going to be an awesome setting. Today I have my wife Stephanie and my son Henry. It was amazing to see so much media attention, just capturing a moment of having a dog and a soldier reunited together. Let's go see your daddy. This is a moment that I've been waiting for, well, honestly, for about 11 months. I brought Bach's Kong. I also brought a rope toy, which he absolutely loves. Bach came through the door, and then it clicked. It's a Duque! Duque, what's up, buddy? He was like, oh, wait, I remember you. You could see his eyes light up. He walked right over to my wife Stephanie and my three-year-old son Henry, got a little bit of scratch and love from everybody, just right at home. I just want to give you a hug, because thank you so much for bringing him home. On the car ride back, he took up the same position he did when we were in the patrol car. He decided to just kind of lay down, look around for a little bit. Just getting those moments back and him wanting to be around me is awesome. Originally I was slightly apprehensive on how Bach would do around small children. But as soon as he saw Henry, walked right up to him, got his Kong. He was like, all right, this is kind of cool. Same thing with Stephanie. Stephanie put her arms around him, and he just immediately accepted, well, this is somebody else who's going to love me. I don't see any problems with my oldest son Christopher. I think they're going to get along just fine. He spent seven years of his life working and jobbing it out there, for hours on end and all the elements. He's really deserved just to be a couch dog and kind of do what he wants to do. And that's exactly what I want for him. I just want him to live out his life being happy, not having to be stressed out or having to do anything. Just enjoy your time. I get it. Come on. Bach!