RAF MILDENHALL, England -- A family could include a parent or parents, children maybe, and often a family pet. Achilles, an English bulldog with the ability to vocalize or communicate when he would like to go for a walk, has traveled the world with his military family. Born March 20, 2006, in Budapest, Hungary, Achilles came from a litter of four puppies. 

After first meeting Achilles on Halloween night, as he walked the streets of housing with his owner, 100th Air Refueling Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Michael Warner, I instantly knew I would never forget his happy face. The following interview with Command Chief Master Sgt. Warner demonstrates how a pet can be considered a member of the family.

Q. Could you tell me the story about how your family found and welcomed your dog into your home?

A. We found Achilles through Europuppy.com. They're a company that sells puppies from breeders in Hungary. They have all kinds of puppies available for folks to purchase. At the time I was the commandant for the Kisling Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Kapaun Air Station, Germany. My wife and I had wanted an English bulldog ever since we got married, and in Germany a couple of our friends had bulldogs that they had obtained through this same company. Finally after 20-plus years of marriage we made the commitment, and let me tell you that getting a bulldog is a commitment. We worked with Europuppy.com to find and purchase Achilles.

Q. Does your dog have a microchip tracking device or tattoo? Why or why not?

A. Achilles has a microchip tracking device. This is needed, in particular for the United Kingdom, to identify that the dog you are trying to bring into their country is actually the dog that goes with the pet passport. In addition the tracking device identifies Achilles as belonging to the Warner family. 

Q. Where is your dog's favorite place to be walked? 

A. My dog's very favorite place to walk is Aspal Close Nature Reserve right here in Beck Row. He loves all the vegetation. 

Q. What is his favorite toy or game?

A. His favorite toy is a stuffed animal that resembles "Donkey" from the movie "Shrek." He likes to play tug of war with it, and when he goes to sleep he puts it in his mouth and sucks on it like a baby sucking his thumb.

Q. Who in your family acts as the main caregiver?

A. Achilles is truly a family dog, and we share all the responsibilities for taking care of him.

Q. I know dogs aren't as finicky as cats, but does your dog prefer one family member over the others in your house? 

A. No, as stated before he is truly a family dog and loves all of us with extraordinary vigor.
Q. Where does Achilles sleep?

A. He sleeps in my son's room, in my son's bed or his futon ... wherever my son decides to sleep.

Q. Does Achilles have a personality trait that stands out that could help our readers get to know him?

A. Achilles has a habit of being friendly to anybody. Whenever he is happy or gets to greet someone new he squints his eyes real tight and shakes his head and tail at a tremendously fast pace.

Q. Has he been to any fancy places or tourist attractions in England with you?

A. He has spent a lot of time at RAF Daws Hill watching our son play baseball. He has also traveled to Belgium, France, Amsterdam, and has spent lots of time in Germany.

Q. What challenges did your family face trying to bring him in country?

A. We faced the same challenges everyone faces when bringing a pet into the U.K. At the time I was selected to be the command chief, I was only given about six-week's notice before we had to depart Germany. Achilles was only 6-months-old and hadn't had his rabies shot yet. We immediately went and got his shot, but under the U.K. Pet Travel Scheme rules, he had to be at a sufficient level of the rabies inoculation for at least six months after being tested. For his first test he wasn't at a sufficient level so he had to get another rabies shot and be tested again. The second time he was good, but at that point I was leaving Germany for the U.K. a month later. That meant we had to either leave him in Germany or put him in a kennel here in the U.K. until the six-month time limit had elapsed. We chose to have him stay in Germany with our friends, who by the way also had a bulldog named Maggie. While we missed him very much, he had a good time with his best friend.

Editor's Note: No federal endorsement of Europuppy.com is intended or implied. For more information on bringing a pet into the U.K. please access the following website: www.defra.gov.uk