Meet Hero Dog Remy

Remy is a Dutch Shepherd that at two years old came to Patriot K-9 Services in north Texas to be trained with other explosive detection dogs, with additional duty as a patrol dog. From the very beginning Remy was an enthusiastic trainee that relished finding explosives so he could be rewarded by getting to play with his toy the trainer would throw for him. He loved his job and would later prove his value as he excelled at training to include protection dog training. He was desensitized during his weeks in training to gun fire and explosions he might expect while doing his job. The noise of the explosions actually seemed to increase his desire to work. In addition to training required of him to be able to find explosives, he underwent training to protect his handler and apprehend a fleeing suspect if necessary.

After months of constant drills at finding different explosives hidden in cars, building, suitcases, and even on people, Remy was deemed extremely efficient at finding explosives and was ready to prove his worth on the new war on terror raging in Afghanistan.

As he completed his training an urgent request for explosive detection dogs teams that could deploy to Afghanistan came to Patriot K-9 Services. Remy was going to be deployed.

A Patriot K-9 Services team on entry point security

New Kids on the Block

To meet the urgent request for dog teams coming from the Army, Remy was driven to DFW Airport and put on a commercial flight to Frankfurt Germany with his handler. After arrival in Frankfurt the pair spent several days at the hotel resting up after their long airplane ride. Within days the team made the 40 mile trip to Ramstein Air Force Base, home of the 86th Airlift Wing on a military bus. The war was still being ramped up and the base was a beehive of activity while soldiers and equipment were flown in and out.

Soldiers waited in the USO calling home, some slept in chairs waiting on flights that would take them downrange to the war. Remy waited his turn with the others. When Remy and his handler's names were finally called after days of waiting, the pair boarded the C-17 with other troops and equipment, and settled in for the 6 hour flight to Kabul.

After two days in Kabul, Remy boarded a C-130 with other soldiers for his final leg to Kandahar that would be his home for the next two years. On arrival in Kandahar, opening of the aircraft's door allowed the intense heat of the Afghanistan summer in. It was the most intense heat he and his handler had experienced. Texas heat in the summer can be intense but this was a whole new level. Remy and his handler, along with several other Patriot dog teams, were now the first dogs of their kind introduced to the base that was at the forefront on the war on terror, the coalition base in southern Afghanistan, Kandahar Air Field.

The Mission Begins

On arrival, the various military units there just didn't know what to make of the new dog teams at their disposal. The teams were the first they had used since the Army had taken Kandahar back from the Taliban and they didn't understand how capable they were. They would soon learn. Remy, along with the other teams were assigned to entry point security at the base.

Locals delivered everything from gasoline to building supplies and water by day while many worked with the Taliban by night. Every vehicle coming onto Kandahar Air Field (KAF) was searched for explosives by the teams. It was tedious and boring work but vital to base security. The work went on 7 days and nights a week for months before the teams were asked to go into the field. This was the news that everyone had been waiting for.

Remy bite training

Special Forces Call to Duty

The K-9 compound was a very popular place with the soldiers of KAF. The dogs had proven their worth over the months by finding explosives designed to kill and disrupt operations before they could be detonated, which of course everyone was grateful for. They were also a reminder of home for many that had dogs of their own they had left behind while deployed. Some of the dogs were Labrador Retrievers or "waggy tail" dogs as some dubbed them, and were always glad to be petted by anyone that came by.

One of the visits in the summer of 2004 was by a Captain with the Special Forces unit there. Captain "Robert Fanning" asked if an explosive detection dog team could be spared to go with them on an upcoming mission. Remy's handler, who had previously been an Army Ranger, made the team a logical choice to go. SF teams were known to participate in direct action missions of the utmost importance. The team packed and were flown out to the forward operating base (FOB) they would be working from within days.

A day after arriving at the FOB, Remy was accompanying the SF unit on his first mission to find an insurgent that was known to be building IED's at a village in the mountains. The team was inserted a few miles from the village by helicopter and hiked the remaining distance so as not to warn the insurgent they were looking for and enable his escape. Arriving at the compound in the early morning hours, they saw no activity and started to enter through the door of the earthen hut. Remy's handler suggested they let him apply his trained nose around the door before trying to open it. While carefully smelling the crack around the door Remy stopped, sat down, and stared at the door. This was how the explosive detection dog had been trained to respond.  

The structure was surrounded while a couple of the soldiers went to the back and entered through a window. When they made their way to the front door they found it booby trapped with numerous grenades that would have detonated had they opened the door. From that point on Remy was a hero around the people he worked with. He had undoubtedly saved several lives.

Remy out with Special Forces

Disaster Strikes

Missions came and went, all performed successfully over the ensuing weeks for Remy and his handler while embedded with the SF team. One routine patrol on this particular morning was just that, routine. Nothing out of the ordinary was expected with no particular action anticipated.

Remy mounted up in the back of a truck with his handler driving as the SF soldiers drove various vehicles, everything from Humvee's with machine guns mounted on them to 4 wheelers. As they made their way down a road that was little more than a trail through the desert, their luck ran out. The front tire of the dog truck ran over a pressure plate that was connected to an anti tank mine. The resulting explosion sent the truck six feet into the air. Windshield was blown out, the front wheels and tires were missing, hood and fenders were blown away. The truck was totally destroyed. Remy's handler was unconscious as the SF medic and others drug him from the cab. He was alive.

Remy, in his crate in the back, was unhurt. He was led away from the immediate area by a soldier while a medic attended to his handler. Remy was trained to protect his handlers and no one was taking any chances of him thinking they were trying to hurt him as they preceded to treat his injuries. After further examination it was determined the handler had miraculously escaped serious injury. He had suffered broken bones in his feet, black eyes, and a bloody nose from the blast. The communications officer called a medivac helicopter to fly the injured handler and Remy back to KAF. Days later the handler was airlifted home for treatment of his injuries while Remy waited for him at at the base.

Some weeks later he returned after successful treatment of several small broken bones in his feet that were suffered when the blast came through the trucks floor. He was reunited with Remy and both were excited to get back to work. The team returned to the FOB they had been working out of and continued their work for with SF for over another year.

Dog truck after IED explosion

In the End

After Remy and his handler returned to the FOB the team continued their valuable work. Remy came out of Afghanistan and back to Texas in 2005. He was retired by Patriot K-9 Services that owned and trained him. Remy and the rest of the Patriot K-9 Services dog teams were credited with finding 15 tons of explosives, IED's, and various weapons systems while in Afghanistan.

Patriot found Remy a forever home with an ex Vietnam era dog handler and his wife in Michigan. Good job Remy! We are very proud of you and many thanks for your service.