K9 Airman on recovery track after surgery

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Katherine Tereyama
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Soma blinked her eyes as she groggily awoke after a four-hour surgery to correct a compressed spinal disk.

She looked over at the man lying in a cot in her post-operation room. He was by her side as he had been for months, taking care of her, looking out for her and being her friend and partner through everything.

She was still in a lot of pain after going through the surgery but she will soon recover and return to active duty. She slowly pulled herself up, resting heavily on her front paws to avoid putting pressure on her lower back and started walking across the room. This is the start of a new chapter in her life.

As a 7-year-old German Shepherd assigned to the 31st Security Forces Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy, the life of a military working dog is all she knows. Soma is an explosives detection dog and was responsible for patrolling the base, ensuring the safety of more than 7,500 people living and working at Aviano. A war veteran, Soma deployed to Iraq in 2009 to further serve her country. After she began to suffer from a compressed spinal disk, a common malady in dogs her size, she was no longer able to run, jump or even walk very far, skills absolutely crucial to her job.

Proving that the Air Force cares for its Airmen, no matter how many legs they have, Soma's trainer, Staff Sgt. Manuel Gamboa and her newly appointed handler, Senior Airman Durya Toles, took Soma to Dog Center Europe, a U.S. Army-run veterinary care center in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Gamboa spent the night after her surgery sleeping on a cot by her side and said Soma was walking around again mere hours after surgery.

"She's a tough girl, really resilient," Gamboa said, smiling with pride. "It was kind of amazing. I didn't expect her to be able to move and she actually got up and started walking. You could tell she couldn't wait to get up and do things and start working again."

The strength of the bond between them is clear. During a recent check-up at the base veterinary clinic, Soma looked to Gamboa for affection and reassurance as the veterinarian examined the suture site. Gamboa would constantly reach down and pet her while he discussed her progress with the veterinary assistants.

Gamboa said the bond a handler shares with his dog is difficult to put into words, comparing it to the bond a father has with his children.

"It's my favorite thing to do in the mornings, check on Soma to make sure she's doing ok," Gamboa continued. "I come in on my off time, I've come in when I'm on leave, and it's not just me. We all do it because we love our dogs."

Now that Soma has received surgery, it is expected that she will be returned to active duty, but Gamboa says they're taking things slow.

"We take her on three slow walks each day," he said. "You can tell she wants to go farther and faster, she's pulling me the whole time.

"The hope is that she will go back on active duty because the surgery was so successful," he continued. "My main concern is for her health and if [by the end of her recovery] she is healthy enough to go back to work, then that's great. She loves to work."

In the meantime, she is being well taken care of by kennel attendants that ensure each dog is fed and kept clean at all times. Additionally, each dog handler and trainer works 12-15 hour shifts and comes in during their time off to take care of their dog.

"These dogs are our lives. They get the best treatment available," said Senior Airman Joseph Burns, 31st SFS military working dog handler. "They have a 24-hour on-call veterinarian, round-the-clock kennel attendants to make sure they're taken care of, and there are people like me, who realize there are higher callings and [my dog's] needs are over mine. They're very well-cared for and they're very loved. They're like our family members."

Working side-by-side with their handlers, military working dogs detect explosives and narcotics, and perform sentry, patrol and tracking duties. The inherent danger of their duties further strengthens the bond between dog and handler, said Burns.

"I trust my dog with my life," he said.

Because of their serious mission, military working dogs like Soma are a vital asset to the Department of Defense. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, more than 2,700 military working dogs serve in the DOD and in 2010, dogs found more than 12,500 pounds of explosives.
"There have been many reports of bravery of MWDs, the sacrifices they have made and the many lives they have saved and even the suffering they have experienced from post-traumatic stress disorder," AWI's website stated.

In light of the contributions these dogs have made, the National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law January 2, 2013 with provisions that further improve veterinary care and adoption procedures for retired and active duty MWDs.

The dogs were further recognized in the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act, a bill presented to Congress highlighting the importance of these canine servicemembers and how their training has "prevented injuries and saved the lives of thousands of U.S. citizens."

"This is a step in the right direction," said Gamboa. "These dogs deserve the same care, the same treatment, the same respect as we do. They serve their country every day, the same as us."

Aside from being a pet and friend to her handler, Soma will now once again be able to serve her country as an Airman alongside members of our armed forces.

"There's a lot of things you can learn from a dog," Gamboa said. "You might not see it or notice it but these dogs save lives."