Dyngo is a Belgian Malinois. He is now 10 years old. He joined and served three Afghanistan tours as a military dog. He was trained to sniff and find bombs. He would seek where the bombs are located so the troops could avoid that path or disarm the bombs.
Dyngo has served with Staff Sgt. Justin Kitts since 2011. On May 2012, Justin asked Susana if she would adopt Dyngo when he retires from the service. Susana accepted. Kitts couldn’t adopt Dyngo because his daughter was severely allergic to dogs.
Susana Raab is a writer. She wrote the book titled “War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love.” She took on the opportunity to visit and join the dogs on their military drills. She met dogs with different personalities. That’s also how she met Dyngo in 2012.
Fast forward to May 2016, Susana picked up Dyngo at Luke Air Force Base (Phoenix, AZ). At first, Susana thought it would be like dealing with a usual rescue dog – it was not. Dyngo had to adjust from being a combat-ready, bomb-sniffing dog to a domestic pet. The first few days, including their flight back to DC, wasn’t easy. Dyngo chewed on almost everything in their hotel room in Az, and in Sussana’s apartment in DC. Susana made sure to keep a reasonable distance between her and Dyngo – just in case, he goes into combat mode.
It may have taken nine months for him to adjust to being a domestic pet, but he and Susana were able to work through it. Susana’s friend let Dyngo borrow an old crate. The crate served as Dyngo’s safe place during his 9 months of adjusting. Susana also received a lot of tips and help from Kitts and experts on military dogs.
Two years after he was adopted, Dyngo now has his own bed and can be left alone without destroying anything in the house. He is living peacefully as Susana’s loving pet. He is currently a senior dog who’s very happy to be spending his remaining years with Susana.
Credits to Heroic Club for sharing the story.