K9 Bessy

Retired Military Working Dog Bessy

US Air Force , Explosive Detection and Patrol Dog

About

  Bessy, or Bessy Bear as she’s known by her friends, was an Explosive Detection and Protection Dog with the US Air Force. She deployed numerous times to the Middle East, along with non-combat zone deployments in Washington D.C, Japan and a number of air bases across the US. She retired earlier this year and now spends her days with her adopted mom, Karen. Bessy has a huge number of health problems requiring medication that totals up to $800 every month.

 Bessy was born in 2012 and when she was 12 months old, she attended Lackland Air Force Base for her training as an Explosive Detection and Protection Dog. Bessy has an unfortunate range of health issues. She retired because of an eye disease called Pannus, which was diagnosed just before she turned nine-years-old. She also suffers with high blood pressure and a pancreatic insufficiency that was diagnosed when she was still at Lackland Air Force Base. 

  Bessy’s retirement home had to be just right, as she is not a fan of other dogs. Bessy was much loved by all the handlers she worked with but they couldn’t provide the home that she needed, so her kennel team at Lackland Air Force Base reached out to Cover Your K-9 – a group supplying safety equipment for police, military and search and rescue dogs. That’s how Bessy met Karen…“At the time I got the message, I had been without a dog for the first time since I was ten-years-old”, explains Karen. “I had to put my 13-year-old Australian Shepherd to sleep three months before. The kennels said they needed to find someone for Bessy who had no other dogs at home and who had experience with German Shepherds and working dogs. I’ve had two German Shepherds in the past and I trained one of them as a Schutzhund. I’ve also worked with police dogs since 1978, helping with their veterinary care. “Bessy and I were a match made in heaven – at least I think so!”

   Karen and Bessy have found soul mates in one another. But Karen wasn’t sure how Bessy would adjust to civilian life: “At first I didn’t think Bessy was sure what to make of living in a house. She was used to hanging out with a bunch of 20-somethings and now she lives with a sedentary 60-year-old lady – a big change! 

“Every night when I get home, she picks up her favorite toy and runs outside with it. We play fetch until she decides it’s time to go in. Sometimes it’s one pass. But whatever she wants to do, I’m happy to keep throwing.”

Bessy also accompanies Karen to work on Fridays. “She has her own fan club here at the vet hospital. The canine officers I work with at two local police departments are part of her fan club too, especially the bomb detection unit. They love the fact that Bessy came from the same place their dogs came from. They think that’s pretty cool.” 

Bessy loves going for car rides and meeting new people, especially when she’s the center of attention. But that protective spirit has never left this war dog: “She’s always on the alert and I know I’m always safe with her around. Living alone without a dog was tough but having her in my life means I have a buddy with me all the time. I hope she feels the same way.” 

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