Having a German Shepherd by your side means having a friend for a lifetime. These amazing canines don’t just stand out as family pets, but as serious workers, too. They search and rescue, resolve crime, enforce law, and protect their hooman handlers during battles.
There were only a very few certified bomb-sniffing dogs in Dorka’s class who could match the impeccable skills of this female German Shepherd. She was a long-time K9 with an excellent nose and work ethic, but the time had come and Dorka needed to retire.
She was lucky enough to be adopted by her long-time companion, Belamonte, from Florida, but when she first entered her new home, she wasn’t very thrilled…
Belamonte And Dorka Crossed Paths In Afghanistan
When Belamonte first crossed paths with Dorka, she wasn’t a very popular dog. Nobody in particular wanted to pair with her as she was labeled as timid and frail.
This was very strange to Belamonte because he knew that Dorka had one of the best noses out of all K9s, so he took her with himself.
Dorka and Belamonte were deployed in countless operations together. They were always together, taking care of each other and staying by each other’s side.
She was such a beautiful companion to her handler, but after a few years of serious work in Afghanistan, Dorka reached her retirement.
She Got Depressed After The Retirement
As soon as she retired, Belamonte applied for adoption! He wanted to make sure his loving K9 girl got a loving home where she could spend her retirement safely and be relaxed. But, when he finally brought her to his home in Florida, Dorka wasn’t her old self anymore…
She seemed overly depressed and disengaged. There were only a very few things that she’d do. For the most part of the day, she’d only lay around and give Belamonte an empty, sad look.
“I was hoping that she would get used to her new life, so I tried different ways to cheer her up, but nothing really seemed to work. She’d rather go search some cars or go search something with her nose and that’s just what she wanted to do.”
Belamonte Tried Everything
Belamonte did everything in his power to cheer his war girl up! He played guitar for her, and took her outside and initiated games, but Dorka wouldn’t respond.
The only thing she was interested in was sniffing and searching for stuff. And, that’s when it occurred to Belamonte – Dorka missed her old job very much!
Only One Thing Worked
Out of curiosity, Belamonte one day decided to hide a scent similar to what she was used to searching for during her bomb-sniffing training. He used a magnetic pod and hid it under the car.
When he commanded her to find it – Dorka immediately went all business! She was so excited to finally be able to search and sniff for something, transforming back into her old self in no time!
All of a sudden, she was the old Dorka that Belamonte had the chance to work with in Afghanistan. So, he continued to hide stuff from her!
A random experiment now turned into their routine! Belamonte would hide scents all over the place – in the car, the back yard, at a store, or in the house! They searched everywhere they possibly could and Dorka loved it!
She was again a perky, enthusiastic German Shepherd girl eager to please and full of energy. After all this time, it appears that it only took an old habit to make this canine shine again!