Tails to tell: MWD retires after more than 50 ‘dog years’ military service

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Military Working Dog Luc, 100th Security Forces Squadron, switched his government-issued collar and leash for a blue “civilian” equivalent at his retirement ceremony Dec. 12, 2016, after serving seven-and-a-half years – more than 50 “dog years” – at RAF Mildenhall.

At the ceremony in his honor, and after a sneaky bite of his cake at the practice ceremony, MWD Luc sat patiently as 100th SFS military working dog handlers read two poems, “Guardians of the Night” and “The Creation of Man’s Best Friend.” He was then presented several certificates by Lt. Col. Johnathon Bennett, 100th SFS commander, including a Certificate of Appreciation signed by the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Chief Master Sgt. James Cody.

After starting his career at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in May 2009, Luc graduated from the Department of Defense Dog Training School and has been assigned to RAF Mildenhall since June 2010, until he officially served his last day Dec. 11, 2016.

During his career in England, Luc, 8, has amassed 19,000 working hours – 6,000 of which were explosive detection – and has partnered with five handlers.

The MWD’s final handler, Tech. Sgt. Roy Carter, 100th SFS kennel master, worked with his partner since August 2015 and continued to help manage Luc’s care until the K-9 retired.

“My favorite quality of Luc’s is that he’s such a faithful dog,” said Carter. “One particular great memory I have of him was when we went on our mission to Croatia. We got stuck traveling back and stayed in Italy for five days. While we were there, we were able to take a trip to a lake, and Luc got to enjoy the day just being a dog; he played in the water and rolled around in it. He had such a good time hiking with me around the mountain surrounding the lake – that’s my most favorite memory of him while working together.

“In his younger years, Luc was known for how hard a bite he had – people were always so impressed that even though he was small, he was strong and had a very powerful bite,” added the kennel master.

Another former handler, now retired from the Air Force, was then-Tech. Sgt. Jason Laux, also had tales to tell about his former partner.

“Luc is one of the most loyal working dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” he recalled. “I’m not sure if it was because of (how he’d been previously been badly treated) or just who he was, but he is a very loving dog and I know he’ll definitely enjoy his retirement.

“When I picked up Luc as a working dog, he was at a low point in his career,” Laux explained. “I couldn’t give him any type of correction for a very long time because of what happened to him in the past. Love and praise was the only type of reward he craved, and I not only loved giving him that praise, but he definitely deserved it after what he went through. Luc will always be loved and missed by me.”

The MWD was badly treated by his first handler, who ended up being removed from the Air Force because of it. Luc started suffering from severe health issues, which worsened as he got older, but he was still keen to work. With the constant encouragement and love he received from Laux and the other handlers who followed him, Luc eventually overcame his issues and became a happy dog with a strong drive for his reward toy.

Debbie Black, 100th SFS kennel attendant, has seen first-hand how Luc was one of the great K-9 personalities in the kennels.

“Luc is just an all-round lovely dog, and would always come out to greet me first thing in the morning. He just wanted a pat on the head – or to escape his kennel,” she exclaimed, laughing. “He was never overly affectionate except in his kennel, and he was always coming outside for a cuddle when I was cleaning the outside run. He loved to bark loudly and continuously whenever visitors were around, making people think he was a mean dog, but he really wasn’t.”

The veteran MWD has been since adopted by a loving family within the 100th SFS, and is now enjoying retired life chasing balls, laying on the couch and barking at vacuums.

“Luc also inspects everything that comes into the house, and likes to take car rides,” said Joanne Montgomery, the K-9 retiree’s new forever-owner, as she described how although her new family member is a now officially a retiree, some instincts are never forgotten.