“These dogs are not only our best friends, they embody what’s best about us – the courage, loyalty, and heart of true warriors.” – Mike Ritland

These are their stories

Arko aka Breston

CAD Arko served multiple deployments during his career and has been described as the ideal Malinois in nearly every way. On a raid Arko was sent to apprehend a bad guy and was shot point-blank in the chest with an AK-47 round, meant for soldiers behind him. Despite being shot, Arko had a good bite on the man and didn’t come off until his handler approached and gave him the command. The enemy was apprehended, and Arko was flown to a Forward Operating Base, where he underwent surgery. Arko recovered fully and returned to action.

As Arko grabbed the insurgent he was sent to take down, he was shot. Even with his injury, CAD Arko still managed to complete his mission and take down the insurgent. Because of the Warrior Dog Foundation, Arko was able to live out his retirement in peace at the WDF ranch.

What we loved most about Arko is that he was one of those dogs that made you earn his respect every time you clipped a leash to him. Right up until the day he passed, he had a
presence about him that was unmistakable, yet hard to describe. He was a warrior through and through and is responsible for many of our countrymen coming home safe. We will always hold a special place in our hearts for Arko.

Carlos – aka Digo

On a raid, Carlos and his handler were the unfortunate victims of an IED that went undetected. In the middle of an intense fire fight, they approached an entryway where a bunch of munitions were cached. Enemy combatants hastily detonated the IED, and the resulting
explosion severely injured both the handler and Carlos and leveled that entryway. The force of the blast collapsed Carlos’s lungs and sinuses and threw him several feet, which resulted in him breaking both his back legs and his hips. His handler sustained major injuries as well. When the other members of the team rushed up to assist their fallen comrade, despite his own injuries, Carlos managed to crawl over to his handler and guard him. It took some time for the rest of the operators to calm Carlos down. All Carlos knew was that his handler was hurt and he was going to make sure that nobody else did any damage to him.

Carlos and his handler were medevac’d out of that area of operation, and both fully recovered. Carlos healed so well that he eventually returned to operational status and was deployed again before retiring to the Warrior Dog Foundation at age seven.

Bear

Police K9 Bear retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation at the age of 6 after spending a little over 3 years serving his community. Upon arrival at the Warrior Dog Ranch Bear received major dental work and wound care, and quickly began to gain strength. After multiple surgery’s, rehabilitation, high quality nutrition, supplements, and specialized exercise program he transformed into a healthy, happy dog. As a highly active and driven Belgian Malinois Bear will always hold a special place in our hearts and we are honored to have given him a sanctuary to live out his retirement. Sadly, Bear crossed the rainbow bridge at the age of 9. Rest in peace Bear and thank you for your service.

Ben

Ben is an 8-year-old Dutch Shepherd who retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation in April of 2018. Ben served alongside the men and women of the United States protecting our countries leaders and dignitaries.

Beni

MWD Beni is a patrol and explosives detection dog that spent his 10-year career at Travis Air Force Base with multiple deployments that include Qatar and Kuwait. Beni while partnered with his first handler served on 6 USSS missions and competed in 3 local law enforcement canine trial competitions, representing the USAF. Beni has an extremely high drive for both patrol and search detection work.

Blackjack

CWD Blackjack was on duty, protecting his unit from bombs, when a vehicle he was inspecting had a tire blow up next to him. Ever since that day, he was diagnosed with C-PTSD. He could not continue his career and Blackjack was retired. His handler, Michael, adopted Blackjack to give him the retirement he deserved. Blackjack was brought to the States and was reunited with Michael a few months later.

Sadly, in February of 2015, Michael was hit by a drunk driver and did not survive. Blackjack went to live with Michael’s mother, who cared for him the best she could, before he came to live with us at the Warrior Dog Foundation ranch.

Blecky

MWD Blecky is a Belgian Malinois that served in the US Air Force before retiring to the Warrior Dog Foundation in 2019.

“One night while off duty I got a call around midnight and I was notified that he was unable to move his back legs and was dragging himself around with his two front legs to be able to move. I went to the kennels right away and once I walked to his kennel I witnessed just how serious and bad the unknown injury was. After being evaluated and having numerous tests done, it was discovered he had a ruptured disc that was putting pressure on his spine. After the surgery was completed, he was sent to the Military working dog rehabilitation center to work on being able to walk again. Because of how aggressive Blecky is, the staff was unable to work with him and could not give him the treatment he needed to recover. At the time they figured the best course of action was to have him euthanized.”

“Having the Warrior Dog Foundation as a resource for my partner has been huge for not only his transition into retirement but also being allowed to live a life after being a military working dog. Blecky is aggressive, and that makes it challenging for anyone else to be able to work with him. That is when we contacted WDF and explained to them the situation and they agreed to take him in. Without the Warrior Dog Foundation my partner would not be alive today, healing and enjoying retirement.” – Blecky’s Former Handler

Chucky

K9 Chucky is a Belgian Malinois born in the USA Nov. 7, 2014. K9 Chucky and his partner completed their Police Department’s K9 program on July 20, 2017. He is a certified patrol/narcotics detection K9, trained to locate heroin, methamphetamines,
cocaine and marijuana. Chucky proudly served his community until Feb 2018 when he was forced to retire early due to Patellar Luxation, a condition where his rear kneecap dislocates when he runs and jumps.

Dargo

K9 Dargo is a handsome and large Dutch Shepherd who retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation in September 2019. Before retirement, Dargo served as an explosive detection canine at one of Americas busiest International Airport. He was selected for this role because of his olfactory sensory and ability to discriminate between very slight differences in chemical composition while working in high traffic environments with multiple distractions.

Denzel

MPC Denzel retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation from the US Navy. In addition to his patrol work, Denzel was also an excellent explosive detection MPC. He worked in tremendously challenging environments such as low-light, and confined spaces, and mastered skills such as fast-roping, rappelling, and swimming.

Gringo

Retired LEO K9 Gringo is a Dutch Shepherd who retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation in 2020. He is dual certified in patrol work and explosive detection and has been credited with over 100 criminal apprehensions during his time with the Sheriff’s Office. Gringo has also been assigned to POTUS details at Mar-a-Lago where he conducted explosive sweeps within the estate and property. Gringo is passionate and high drive in both work and play.

Griz

Griz is a Dutch Shepherd imported to the USA from the Czech Republic. He is trained in narcotics detection, tracking, apprehension, and handler protection. Griz has had several successful tracks and street apprehensions of criminals in addition to numerous drug finds on the street, consisting of Methamphetamine and Marijuana.

Harry

Retired LEO K9 Harry is a very handsome high drive German Shepherd retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation in November of 2019. Harry is trained to detect narcotics in a variety of settings to include buildings, open areas, packages, vehicles and more. Narcotic detection dogs can detect the slightest trace of an illegal substances even when they are masked by other odors, tightly sealed or deeply hidden, making them a vital tool to our law enforcement agencies. Harry has a very stubborn personality and needs to believe everything is his idea. His drive for a ball is insane and for a big dog he is very fast. There is never a dull moment with Harry and once he is tired he likes to find a mud puddle to lay in.

Igo

Military Working Dog Igo was born January 28th, 2009. He was assigned to Lackland Air Force Base where he entered an extensive MWD training. In 2010, Igo entered explosive detection training and graduated June 22, 2010. In November of the same year, he was tasked to become a dog team with his first handler. During Igo’s time on F.E. Warren Air Force Base he had seven different handlers. Igo provided safety and security for all personnel and base assets, he assisted with the security for the WSA and he provided sweeps for many different distinguished visitors. Igo was also tasked to assist the United States Secret Service with 6 sweeps for POTUS/VPOTUS/FLOTUS along with many other world leaders.

Jax

Before retiring Jax worked as a narcotics detector dog as well as a patrol dog. In 2017, Jax was awarded 1st place among 80+ dogs in the Suspect Search portion of the Region 12 USPCA trials. In 2017, Jax assisted with the capture of a suspect involved in burglarizing multiple businesses. Jax tracked the suspect through a residential area over hard surfaces for approximately a mile before alerting to a business where the suspect was found hiding on the roof. Jax spent 18 months at the Warrior Dog Foundation before finding his forever home to live out his retirement.

Jafo

Jafo is an 8-year-old Dutch Shepherd from Holland and trained in the United States. He began his career at 2.5 years old as a K9 Officer protecting and patrolling a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetlands, streams, and lakes. He is trained in the areas of narcotics, cadaver, suspect apprehension, tracking, article searches, and building searches. Additionally, he worked a cold case on a call for a missing person and is credited with finding human remains in a wooded area.

Kyra

Kyra is an 8-year-old Dutch Shepherd. Before retirement Kyra’s service included bite/detection training at Lackland AFB, she then continued her career at the Albuquerque Police Department as an explosive detection canine. While with APD she conducted explosive sweeps for numerous dignitaries, to include POTUS and many large international events, including the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. She is featured in a book titled Solemn Vow.

Lenox

MWD Lennox is a 13 year-old Belgian Malinois who served in the United States Air Force. He deployed twice to Iraq and once to Kuwait. He traveled to numerous countries protecting dignitaries and directly served and protected the last three United States Presidents. MWD Lennox has been an avid supporter of SPACE FORCE.

Lenz

Lenz is KNPV, PH1 certified and retired after serving alongside Arizona law enforcement.

Nico

MPC Navy SEAL Nico is a perfect example of the success of the Warrior Dog Foundation. Nico served in the United States Navy Special Ops Community and served two tours in the middle east. Nico’s commitment to our country saved countless human lives, provided a security that simply cannot be replicated, and is vital to the success of our special ops missions. MPC Nico spent almost 4 years at the Warrior Dog Foundation adjusting from an operational environment into retirement before reuniting with his former handler and his forever home.

Nico and former handler US Navy SEAL Taylor have been seen raising awareness for the Warrior Dog Foundation on the NASCAR track.

Ozzy

Ozzy was born July of 2010 in Winnipeg, Canada and comes from a long line of proven successful working dogs. Ozzy was certified through the United States Police Canine association. His certifications were in patrol/apprehension, narcotics detection, and tracking. Ozzy won the top rookie dog award in the 2012 USPCA region 12 field trials. Later in 2014 Ozzy finished 4th overall in the nation at the USPCA national narcotics trial.

Ozzy received numerous awards and commendations for his street work in the apprehension of violent offenders. Most notable was an incident where a dangerous aggravated assault suspect was believed to be hiding in an attic. Ozzy was sent in the attic to locate the suspect. Ozzy apprehended the suspect. As his handler tried to locate Ozzy through the thick insolation in the attic, his handler fell through the ceiling, lost consciousness, and was airlifted to the hospital. Ozzy stayed on the suspect and had to be physically removed from the apprehension by another K9 handler who was on scene. He was awarded the medal of valor for his efforts.

Ozzy is a character of sorts. Highly driven and endless energy. Ozzy kind of “marched to his own beat”. He has an edge to him, and when he is in drive he is all business, nothing is done half speed. His intensity for work is second to none.

Rex

Rex is an 8 year old Belgium Malinois, who served in the US Navy West Coast SEAL teams before transitioning to a Sheriff’s Department in New Mexico. In 2016, while assisting deputies Rex was deployed to take down a violent suspect, unfortunately during the altercation K9 Rex was stabbed multiple times and knocked unconscious with a baseball bat. Rex recovered and continued to serve his community before he retired to the Warrior Dog Foundation.

Rocky – aka Italian Rocky

MWD Rocky is an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois who served as a patrol/explosive detector dog for the US Air Force at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Rocky dedicated 8 years of service to the Air Force, deploying once and routinely going TDY for USSS missions and sweeps. Unfortunately, Rocky was unable to be adopted by any of the handlers at Aviano but had the support of the Aviano K9 Section who coordinated for Rocky’s safe and happy retirement with the Warrior Dog Foundation.

CAD Rocky- US Navy SEAL K9

Retired SEAL K9 Rocky was sent to us during an ice storm, suffering an arduous and traumatic trip. When we picked him up at the airport, his head was sticking out of his crate and he was trying to grab anyone that walked by. He is a different dog now, after months of rehabilitation. He has a very strong and dominant character, which is why he was selected for service as a US Navy SEAL K9! He is one of many success stories here at WDF, and we are proud to have been able to make a meaningful impact with him.

Our “Why”

‘These dogs have saved countless lives and prevented innumerable horrific injuries. As a nation, we owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude’~Mike Ritland

These dogs have done so much for us, and they don’t deserve to be put down. They deserve rest, respect, and a dignified retirement. To date, we have rehabilitated and rehomed over 170 K9s. When you donate to The Warrior Dog Foundation, you help us give more hero dogs a chance at a peaceful life after service.

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