“It is unbelievable what happened to his K9 after all his service”
Army Specialist Vance McFarland and his tactical explosives detection dog are about to be reunited after three long years apart. And, their story will break and then warm your heart.
Three years after McFarland said goodbye to his K9, Ikar, he finds himself standing in an airport wondering if his old partner will remember him after all that the dog has been through since their separation.
He didn’t need to worry because as soon as he calls Ikar’s name, the dog rushed right into his arms and give him plenty of kisses. It’s as if no time has passed between the two even though Ikar has suffered some hardships since then.
Ikar is a Czech Shepherd trained to be an explosives detection dog. The pair were deployed to Afghanistan together to locate roadside bombs. Despite the hard work, McFarland says that having Ikar by his side during deployment was like having a little bit of home with him and that other soldiers were jealous and always wanted to pet Ikar.
But, when Ikar and McFarland returned to Fort Bragg, Ikar was immediately deployed back to Afghanistan. After that service, he was then handed off to a private contractor who said they had a job for the dog to do.
But that wasn’t true. Ikar was supposed to spend 5 weeks at a kennel but that turned into 17 long months. The contractor didn’t even pay the kennel owner, who ended up caring for, exercising, and loving the abandoned dogs that were left in his care.
Mission K9 Rescue learned of Ikar and 10 other dogs who were also living at the kennel. They soon got to work getting the dogs out. They didn’t know what the dogs had been through on their deployments but knew they didn’t deserve the cards they’d been dealt.
It was after their rescue that McFarland learned that Ikar had been abandoned at the kennel after returning from Afghanistan the second time. He was contacted on Facebook by Mission K9 Rescue and offered the chance to adopt the now 5-year-old dog.
Of course, he leaped at the chance. Now reunited, Ikar will go home with him to meet his family and two other dogs. They even have plans to go camping at the lake and buy Ikar everything he will need for his new fun-filled life.
McFarland plans to give his old friend the best life possible after retirement. He’s so happy to have his dog back. It is terrible what happened to Ikar after his faithful service yet so heartwarming that the two reunited.
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