<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr">Courtesy of the <i>Stars and Stripes</i> (an Army newspaper) at:<div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2021-08-05/military-working-dog-handler-spangdahlem-2454560.html?utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=755f3378ed-Newsletter+-+Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0ab8697a7f-755f3378ed-296485783">https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2021-08-05/military-working-dog-handler-spangdahlem-2454560.html?utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=755f3378ed-Newsletter+-+Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0ab8697a7f-755f3378ed-296485783</a></div><div><br></div><div>—————————————————</div><div><h1 id="article-headline" itemprop="name" class="default-font b f3 f2-m f1-l fs-normal lh-title headline-font-color mt3 mb0" style="--tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; font-size: 2.25rem; margin: 1rem 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.25; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: ff-meta-serif-web-pro; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">‘It crushes you when they go’: Handler remembers big-hearted military working dog</h1></div><div><br></div><div><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">She worked hard, played hard and devoted her entire life to the U.S. military. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">And Bora, a military working dog from Spangdahlem Air Base, “literally and figuratively had the biggest heart,” her former handler said days after the German shepherd died at age 12. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Bora’s heart was three to four times larger than a normal German shepherd’s, said Staff Sgt. Adrienne Dunham, who worked with Bora for 18 months starting in 2016 and adopted her when she was medically retired last year. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Veterinarians had discovered during a pre-deployment checkup that Bora had a heart defect, Dunham said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">“They noticed she had a heart murmur, and when they looked into it, they saw her heart was enlarged, one of her valves was defective, a bunch of different stuff,” said Dunham, who was with the 52nd Security Forces Squadron when she worked with Bora. “They don’t know how they didn’t catch it before because she’s had it all her life.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: white;">Not only was her heart physically large, but Bora was also “powered by love,” Dunham said. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">“She did biting for a while as a patrol dog but never really enjoyed it, so they made her an explosives detection dog,” Dunham said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">“A lot of people, when they see a working dog, they see a big, scary dog that bites and think that’s all they do or care about,” she added. “But working dogs are cuddly, sweet and intelligent.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Bora continued to thrive after her diagnosis but was medically retired last year at age 11. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Her daily routine switched from working to sleeping on Dunham’s couch, playing with her favorite dog toy and going to the park. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">When Dunham returned to the U.S. in September, Bora couldn’t go with her because of her heart condition, so she went to live with the Gerbers, an Air Force family stationed at Spangdahlem. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">After months of canine retirement living, Bora’s condition worsened last month. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Her heart had grown since her last visit to the cardiologist a few months earlier. It spanned five of Bora’s ribs, Christine Gerber said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Vets put her on the maximum dosage of medication, but she blacked out every few minutes, her heart unable to pump enough blood around her body. She died at the end of July. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Dunham was devastated when she learned of Bora’s death, she said by phone from Albuquerque, N.M., where she is assigned to the 377th Security Forces Group. </span></p><p class="storyline-p" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.25rem; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18pt; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(147, 197, 253, 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 2rem 5rem; margin-block: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“It crushes you when they go,” she said. “But I’d never do anything else. Working dogs are amazing creatures.” </span></p></div><div>—————</div><div><br></div><div>Photos . . .</div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); background-color: whitesmoke;">Bora and one of her handlers at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Staff Sgt. Adrienne Dunham. The pair deployed to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey and went on missions in Paris and Brussels during the 18 months they worked together, from 2016-2017. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Stars_and_Stripes/SS_080521_01.jpg">http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Stars_and_Stripes/SS_080521_01.jpg</a></p></div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); background-color: whitesmoke;">Military working dog Bora on the job at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. The German shepherd didn't like patrol work because of the biting involved and was moved over to explosives detection, said her former handler, Staff Sgt. Adrienne Dunham.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Stars_and_Stripes/SS_080521_02.jpg">http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Stars_and_Stripes/SS_080521_02.jpg</a></p></div><div><br></div><div>—————————————————<br><br><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">http://www.MoscowCares.net</span></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div><div>“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”</div><div>- Roy E. Stolworthy</div><div></div></div></div></div></body></html>