49th SFS gets new four-legged comrade

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sondra Escutia
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  When a servicemember swears into the military, it is usually after much hard thought. It is a momentous occasion, and sometimes, it authenticates a desire one may have had for years.

But sometimes, when one stands out from the rest of the pack, military members are chosen.

That was the case for one of Holloman's newest members, a German Shepherd named Luxi/N428. Luxi was procured by the government when he was a year and half old after passing numerous tests to prove he was military working dog material. He arrived to Holloman at the end of October following months of preliminary training.

Now, just days after his third birthday, Luxi is a military asset, a dual-purpose canine and a member of the 49th Security Forces Squadron team.

The young black canine with brown paws is still developing a personality all his own, as the 49th SFS kennel master says each working dog does.

"It's still too soon to say what his personality is like, but he definitely still has a lot of puppy in him," said Tech. Sgt. Thomas Henzl, 49th SFS Kennel Master.

Luxi came to Holloman from Lackland AFB, Texas, where he received world-class canine training in the 341st Training Squadron. The 341st TRS trains handlers and military working dogs for all branches of the Department of Defense to include to the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, meaning that every dog and handler throughout the branches are interchangeable.

"A lot of times, we will support other branches down range just because we have such a limited resource in the DoD and working dogs are in such high demand," said Sergeant Henzl. "Since all the dogs receive the same training, we can match our teams with the Army, or Marines and have no problems with integration."

After Sept. 11, the demand for military working dogs increased throughout the Armed Forces and has remained high since then. Currently, the Air Force has the most dogs of all branches, but the career field is in need of more handlers.

"The handler and dog team deploy frequently," said Sergeant Henzl. "Whatever the deployment tempo is for the Air Force, it's the same for the dogs. They are such a limited resource and we're in high demand everywhere, for every branch."

Luxi is still waiting for a handler, but once he is assigned one, his training will increase. Although Luxi was certified in both detection and patrol work, he will have to be re-evaluated in both with his handler.

"He gets here, and we pair him up with a handler. Now they have to become certified as a team," said Sergeant Henzl. "I give them several tests that will evaluate the dog's ability to do certain tasks both critical and semi-critical."

An example of a semi-critical task is the "down" or "sit" command, said Sergeant Henzl. A critical task, on the other hand, is a more serious endeavor. One critical task he will test for is the dog's ability to "standoff," meaning the dogs ability to withdraw after being given the order to bite if the offender gives up or a bystander gets in the way.

"If a security forces member needs to pull a trigger and shoot a bullet down range at a target, there's no stopping it, it's going to hit its intended target," said Sergeant Henzl. "With a dog, once the dog is going to go for a bite, we have the ability to stop the dog before biting."

Luxi's detection certification will also be re-evaluated and will then be witnessed by base leadership for approval. Upon approval, the team will be ready to patrol together, a job that these canines may enjoy even more than their human counterpart.

"These dogs love to work," said Sergeant Henzl. "For us, it's work. For them it's a natural instinct -- it's play time. We're satisfying a drive, a natural instinct of the dogs. We just manipulate that instinct to have them perform these different tasks."

Unfortunately, after so many years of doing the job they love to do, military working dogs come to a point when they are relieved of their military duty. Once a military working dog is dispositioned, there are numerous options for where he'll go.

"Usually if the dog is going to be retired, it's a medical type retirement where they can't physically do the job anymore," said Sergeant Henzl. "Sometimes dogs go back to Lackland Air Force Base and are used as training aids for new handlers so they can learn how to work a dog before they get out to a base. I've also seen some dogs go back for remedial type training to get recertified and sent back out to the field again."

Another option for military working dogs is adoption, a process that is very detailed for potential candidates. Sergeant Henzl said more times than not, the dog will be adopted by a former handler.

"These dogs are highly trained and you have to be knowledgeable of the capabilities of these dogs," he said. "We strongly scrutinize who adopts these dogs and that's really to give them a good quality of life."

And a high quality of life is something of familiarity to military working dogs, as they are treated the same way they are viewed -- as a valuable, yet limited, military asset.

"When we deploy, living conditions for dogs usually receive high priority as far as quality of water and resources because commanders are usually aware of the resource the dogs provide to the troops as far as safety and the tools they bring to the table," said Sergeant Henzl. "They get top-notch care and veterinary services."

Sergeant Henzl speaks from experience when he explains the working dog's outstanding treatment. He has been deployed with a canine partner twice since retraining into the military working dog handler career field in 2002. As the kennel master, he oversees all the dogs and handlers and is not currently assigned a dog, but has handled several in his career. He said that it is a rewarding, but challenging job.

"Working dogs are living, breathing creatures. If one of these dogs gets sick in the middle of the night, we come in and take care of it. For every single one of these dogs, you have to be responsible for it," he said.

He also said that he couldn't ask for a better job.

"For people who are dog people, this is an opportunity to work with, and get paid, to play with a dog every day. It's hard to pass up," said the technical sergeant.

Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams, another 49th SFS dog handler, agreed with Sergeant Henzl's sentiments. His canine partner, Blacky/C049, is an 11-year-old German Shepherd.

"He's an old man just like me," said Sergeant Williams. "I was in the National Guard and I always wanted to handle dogs and they sent me here. I'm glad to have done it."

Tech. Sergeants Williams and Henzl agree that the best part of their job is the bond that naturally forms between the handler and the dog.

"We all get attached to our dogs," said Sergeant Henzl. "You never get over a dog when it's time to move onto another one. That's your partner -- it's hard to do."

As for Luxi, he will continue being a puppy and learning the trade of being a Holloman Defender until he and his awaited handler get the chance to do just that.

In the meantime, the 49th SFS is happy to have a new member on their team.

"We are excited about the arrival of MWD Luxi. We now have a full kennel of military working dogs trained in the detection of explosive and narcotics as well as the ability to run down and stop any criminal in their tracks," said Maj. Chris DeGuelle, 49th SFS commander. "Luxi, like all our other canines, will play a key role in deterring acts of crime and violence against Holloman and it's residents."