Adopting a Military Service Dog: Som's Story
- Meghan Gage
- Apr 19, 2015
- 2 min read
Who is Som?
Som was born 1/30/2009 and was trained by the Air Force at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He is dual certified as a PEDD...which is a patrol explosives detector dog. He also served as a training dog...which means he was also used to help train new k-9 handlers. He served the Air Force until November 2013, when he was retired due to a heart murmur.
Adopting Som:
While married Amy Yeager worked with the Army Family Readiness Group. While going through a divorce she still wanted to be a part of a military family in anyway that was helpful. Once she found out you could adopt, she started the long process. It usually takes 18 months to 2 years to become eligible to adopt. Then you have to meet with military personnel to make sure you can handle the dog and it is the best fit. Yeager was lucky enough to be working on the fundraising for the national monument and go to Lackland Air Force base for the dedication ceremony, where she met with the Tech Sargent in charge of the adoption program and had an interview. The following month Som became available....”without hesitation I was back on a flight to Texas to meet him....love at first sight of course.” She flew home with him the next day. “We have been inseparable ever since.”
About Amy:
“I have always been fascinated with animals as well...since before I can remember. I have always had a special connection with them. When I was little my mom's cousin trained police dogs and when I was married to an army guy I was able to see first hand the MWDs and how they works...they are so amazing. From that moment on I have had a special place in my heart for those dogs....service to protect our family members and only wanted love in return”
Life in Retirement:
Som is really enjoying retirement life relaxing and playing with his little golden retriever brother Sam. “I still work and train with him everyday...he needs a job or he gets bored. I don't think he fully gets he is retired....” says owner Amy Yeager. He checks every person or package that comes in the house and does his patrol a few times a day checking to make sure everyone is ok. He does have a few little quirks from working...he hates fireworks and certain noise (one in particular is the beep shows use on TV when people use bad words....that beep drives him nuts.) He also hates being away from his owner or not right next to her at all times “I'm his new handler to him so it's his job to keep me safe....which is truly amazing.”
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