Retired military K-9 flown from Korea to Seattle reunited with handler

SEATTLE — A military K-9 kicked off his retirement by reuniting with his handler on Monday.

Bady, a 10-year-old German shepherd, has been stationed at Kusan Air Base in South Korea as a patrol and explosive detection dog.

He spent a year and a half with Technical Sergeant Adamma ‘Dom’ Bilal, who oversaw a kennel at the base.

“I was in charge of the kennel, so everyone else knew, ‘Hey, that’s Sgt. Bilal’s dog. Even if I assign you to somebody, that’s Sgt. Bilal’s dog,’” Bilal, who has been in military service for the past 11 years, said on Monday. “He’d come to work with me every day, and then I’d take him home. So he was with us every single day. All day.”

After a year and a half together, Bilal was reassigned and moved to Florida.

Bady stayed at Kusan Aire Base, until he recently retired.

The 10-year-old German shepherd will embark on his retirement with Bilal after flying into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Monday.

“Hey Bady, you can do whatever you want,” Bilal said on Monday. “You’ve been serving just as long as me at this point. You can do whatever you want, my guy. Now just living the couch life, as we call it. Chilling out. No more work. No more anything. Just gets to go live on the beach with me.”

The U.S. Air Force flew Bady from Korea to Seattle, where he’ll leave for Florida to move in with Bilal.

Bilal was flown into Seattle by Mission K9 Rescue, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, reuniting, rehoming, rehabilitating, and repairing any retired working dog that has served in a military-related setting.

“We all love our dogs, but to work in that kind of environment, in that special environment together, and to depend on each other in a manner we can’t understand? It’s worth it,” Kristen Maurer, the president of Mission K9 Rescue, said on Monday. “I admire these handlers for being able to let go of their dog the way they do. If we can do anything to bring them back together, we’re going to do what we can.”

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