A retired military dog and his former handler were reunited after being separated for almost one year, according to KOB 4.
Senior Airman Jenna Canada of the U.S. Air Force and her partner, Akim, patrolled an air base and trained with the Republic of Korea Air Force in South Korea in 2020.
Akim was stung by a bee in June 2020, KOB 4 reported. He had a severe response and required immediate medical attention.
"I was saying, 'Please don’t die,'" Canada said. "I was doing everything in my power to keep him alive. I wasn't going to let him die, even though he was pretty much gone."
Canada remained by the dog's side throughout his recovery. She said the pair faced another challenging period after her deployment in South Korea concluded.
"When I was over in South Korea, it was only a short-term, which is only like one year," she said. "After that is when you get new orders. So, my time was coming where I needed to leave and he needed to stay; he was still active in the military."
New orders moved Canada to New Mexico, according to KOB 4. Eight months later, she adopted Akim and returned him to the U. S. after discovering he was going to retire. Akim's overseas move to the U. S. was made possible with the help of the American Humane organization.
"Well, of course, I was nervous that he wasn't really going to remember me," Canada said.
Once they were reunited, it was as if he had never forgotten her.
Canada said her goal is to keep Akim, who is now 10 years old, "happy and healthy," KOB 4 reported. She wants to take him on many adventures.