A U.S. Air Force dog, Jony, serving with the 20th Security Forces Squadron, has retired after nine years, or 68 dog years, of distinguished service, the U.S. Department of Defence has said.
Pentagon, in a statement, said Jony retired due to a compressed disc in his spine, and has been permanently put in the hands of its handler, Air Force Staff Sergeant Anthony Despins, a military working dog handler, who met Jony as his first canine partner in 2012.
In another report by the US Department of Defence, Jony, like so many airmen before him received a retirement pin to symbolize his transition from an active-duty service member to retiree; unlike most airmen, Jony is also presented with a bone to symbolize his transition from the kennel to the couch, reclaiming his place at the side of an old familiar friend.
“I don’t look at Jony as a pet or as an animal,” Despins said. “I look at him as more than that. He’s like my best friend, even though he can’t talk back.”
After nine years of service alongside several partners, Jony’s leash is relinquished and permanently put in Despins hands, and together the two go home.
US Department of Defence