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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

ABC Wednesday where K is King



Since ABC Wednesday has moved into the letter 'K' for this week I'm using a photo from the archives, if you will.
K is for King.




Dave was a security dog handler in the late 1960s, serving a year at Korat AFB, Thailand during the Vietnam war. He joined the Air Force in 1967 and volunteered for dog school after basic training at Lackland AFB in Texas. The first German Shepherd dog assigned to him was named King -- of the big ears! Dave and King served together at Fairchild AFB, Washington until Dave was assigned to his overseas tour of duty in the fall of 1969. Sadly, King had to stay behind while Dave met his new dog in Thailand. But he and King learned the ropes together and will always have a special place in his heart.

This what Dave has to say about him:

King reached a peak weight of 105 lbs, big for a German Shepherd. He was sold to the Air Force in 1968 by a family in Bryan, TX. The motivating factor was King got over a fence and took down one of their horses and nearly killed it. He had a gentle personality towards his handler, but when released on an attack was fearless and had a bone crushing bite that those wearing the thick protective suite attested to. He was the first and only Sentry Dog that I know of that returned to its Air Force base of origin after being retrained as a Patrol Dog (more like a civilian police dog). Normally they would not be returned out of concern that the familiar environment would return them to their Sentry Dog habits which was a very aggressive attack that was considered lethal. A patrol dog could be called out of an attack by voice command and they are trained to hold the person. A Sentry Dog will move in to kill if the person struggled or tried to fight back.
Visit ABC Wednesday for more photos of 'k'--you'll be amazed at the originality and beauty of the many posts each week. You may even want to join in the fun! If you prefer, check out the comment free ABC Wednesday Anthology here.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

A fine looking animal.

photowannabe said...

Wow, so much power. I think he deserved his regal name.
Nice tribute and pictures.

Anonymous said...

That's one very lucky dog. Many dogs in that position would just be put to sleep, but he found a job he was well suited for, and was able to live a full life.

Good post!

Marianne said...

King... he is one beautiful dog. I'm glad he was able to re-train for Patrol duty.
You know how I love the dogs.

Queen-Size funny bone said...

what a magnificient dog.

Reader Wil said...

Now that's quite an impressive dog! Thanks for the story and thanks for your kind words!

Anonymous said...

He deserved the name for sure!
Thank you for sharing!

Neva said...

A very great "K". I have been so busy this week I did not have time to do K. There is always next week!

Kim from Hiraeth said...

That was an interesting story. I grew up with German Shepherds (all named Lady) and they are very loyal dogs.

Luiz Santilli Jr said...

Nice to meet King!

Friend, friend,...!

Luiz

Bear Naked said...

King definitely had large ears.
Wonderful story for ABC Wednesday Letter K.

Bear((( )))

Rinkly Rimes said...

Truly King of the Beasts. But I wouldn't like to meet him in a dark alley!

Miss_Yves said...

Beautiful dog !
My favorite kafka's short story is
la Métamorphose
And I enjoy also
Le procès

Thanks for your
Kind comment
miss Yves

mrsnesbitt said...

Oh WOW! German shepherds are my favourite. Well, with owning 2 I have to say that! LOL!

A beautiful dog, a shame he had to be left, but no doubt he will have been loved with those eyes.

Anonymous said...

big ears indeed. :O adorable dog. :)

Dragonstar said...

A handsome dog. I agree with Jay - he was so lucky to be given his new life, and it sounds as if Dave was lucky to meet up with him.

earthlingorgeous said...

Wow! very powerful dog indeed and he looks very adorable. King was an appropriate name I think.

My K is for Karma please do visit me here.

Happy Weekend!