He's been a true soldier for his country, working his butt off for the last 6 years at Sky Harbor here in Phoenix. Wrote a little farewell to the 900 employees here who know and have worked side by side with him for so long...he's a bit of a celebrity here in AZ. Just wanted to share this write up I did for him to some of you I consider friend's on the site here. Hope it's interesting, I'm guessing more than a few of you are dog lovers!
Best damn Explosive Detection Dog in all of DHS...really stinks that he won't be able to enjoy a long and comfortable retirement. FYI, he's a Black Labrador with the heart of a true warrior and and he deserves this little epitaph:
The Goofy DogNobody believes in love at first sight any more. Few people believe that the bonds of true friendship and respect can be forged in an instant. Philosophers and wise men would argue that ties between man and beast are simply utilitarian, dictated by instinct and training repetition. Preachers and scholars often opine that animals cannot possibly have souls. Scientists assert that a dog, being a mere animal of the genus Canis Familiaris cannot feel or emote beyond the dictates of pack drive and survival motivations. They are all wrong. I’m a personal witness to the fallacy of this misperception and rest assured, I am far from the only one. With one word, I can refute every wise philosopher, pastor and learned scientist on this topic. Brian.
On my first introduction to Brian, it was immediately clear that this was not your normal dog. For one, he walked in a strange kind of “dug in†low crawl. His legs seemed to refuse to straighten, remaining oddly coiled up and keeping him low to the ground as he circled and barked within his kennel. Even stranger, his back legs were oddly short and squat, giving the impression of a coal black Hyena with his rear legs shortened at the knees. His ears were not just floppy, they were pushed down and held back as if he was afraid of what might happen next. And yet, in the first moment that we met, he began to wag his tail and I knew then we were going to be inseparable.
Brian’s tail wag is not just a wag. It’s a wag that reverberates through his whole being. It’s as if his tail is shaking his whole body, with his hindquarters moving like Elvis on stage throwing his pelvis at a startled TV evangelist in the 1950’s. This tail wag works its way up to his front shoulders and head, making him appear to be saying “no†over and over again. But the truth is, in his whole life he’s never really said no to anyone or anything. He lives to please…and to have fun every day. He would literally jump through fire and cross burning coals to play and interact with someone who’s nice to him. That drive makes him a great working dog. More importantly, to me at least, it makes him a truly good soul.
Of course, Brian knows none of this about his tail wag or his soul. He doesn’t have one ounce of self-consciousness, something I envy in him. His full body wag and the spark in his eyes were my first and will be my last impression of him, and if its true that all dogs go to heaven…my first sight past the pearly gates will be a goofy looking black dog shaking his hips like Elvis coiling to jump into my lap. Brian and I have worked together and been inseparable for 5 years now. We have struggled and failed, succeeded and learned and generally fought hard to help people travel safely and without fear. That fight will go on without him, but his presence on the front line will be missed every day.
Neither Brian nor myself are truly selfless nor perfectly dedicated, we share moments of laziness and boredom…and our favorite day is payday (his payday comes in the form of a black kong toy)…and we eagerly look forward to arriving home to our respective comforts (My couch, his cushioned kennel under the stairs at the house…where his nickname is Hairy Potter). But it is always true that we both care deeply about our mission, the hunt for explosives consumes us each day and he is relentless in sniffing them out. In fairness, he thinks he’s just looking for his ball…but that’s a passion too =).
I’ve learned far more from him over these 5 years than he has from me but for the most part we learned and grew together both at work and in our own lives. Where I go, he goes. When I feel poorly, he does. When he wants to bark at a passing dog, I want to yell at the owner to get the heck out of our work area. When a cute poodle walks by…well…that’s all him, but we both enjoy the sights and sounds at the airport! We are a strange, far from pretty, but damn effective symbiosis of man and beast both made better and more effective by the presence of the other. And I would add, this is true of all our canine teams at Sky Harbor.
So, I’m writing this letter as a goodbye to and from Brian…at least to “work†Brian…and to tell those who’ve known him that he is now moving on to the final chapter of his life. He will no longer be patrolling Sky Harbor, where he’s been a fixture for the last 5 years. Brian was recently diagnosed with Cardio-Myopathy, a very serious congestive heart failure that will take his life sometime in the next 6-12 months.
So for the next week, Brian will be walking around the airport to say farewell to the place and people that he’s served and loved for these past years. Many of you know him well and I know you will miss him so please feel free to come up and say farewell to him. Brian is not as energetic as he once was but he is still well enough to get around and is happy to engage with anyone and everyone who talks to him. After this week, and maybe part of next week, Brian will be spending his time at home just being a “real dog†and relaxing…which has always been his favorite thing to do.
@Emjay @Maj. Bill Martin @Right_in_Virginia @mystery-ak @Jazzhead @corbe