Born in Lackland, on guard in Alaska, OOpal is precious to everyone she protects. USAF PHOTO.
If you were to drive directly north, about four thousand miles on I-35 from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, you would arrive at the main gate of Eielson Air Force Base in the heart of Alaska. That’s where you would find several MWD teams, including OOpal and her handler, USAF Staff Sergeant Mathis W., protecting the almost seven thousand people on the base as well as a vast inventory of extremely valuable aircraft, ammunition, and buildings inside the fence line.
Like Mathis, his faithful K9 partner OOpal is trained and equipped (including dog booties) to withstand temperatures as low as 50 degrees below zero. Together, they face long hours of darkness during the Alaska winter. The strong relationship between dog and handler and the camaraderie of the MWD teams at Eielson help combat the seasonal depression associated with long periods without light near the North Pole.
Typically, when the president of the United States is scheduled to speak at a major public event, dozens of MWD teams, in coordination with the Secret Service, are required to examine and declare as safe every inch of a huge venue like a sports stadium.
OOpal’s career started at Lackland, where she was born, fostered, and trained. Her lead trainer at the Dog Training School was Technical Sergeant Steve N., a US Air Force cop, dog handler/trainer, and devoted dad. He remembers how unusually aware and caring of humans the sixteen-month-old OOpal was. “She made sure that she did not tear up my hand when we were doing bite work,” he says. “You have to expect to get bitten because the dogs are still learning to control their natural excitement and we’ve got them moving fast. But here was a powerful young dog being careful not to hurt me!”
Thousands of lives on base and billions of dollars in assets are protected by OOpal and her handler when they are on patrol. PHOTO BY USAF STAFF SGT. SHWAN NICKEL.
OOpal was recognized early on as a special pup. She left vivid memories in the hearts of all who provided for her care and training. OOpal’s Puppy School instructor, Rene T., recalls that OOpal was “very focused and eager to please.” Her foster dad, Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Jason A., poured love and hard work into OOpal to prepare her for her years of training. “When I decided to foster OOpal,” Jason says, “I was the Kennel Master at the 802nd Security Forces Squadron, JBSA-Lackland. That’s the MWD section responsible for law enforcement and physical security protection of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and Fort Sam Houston. I’d been privileged to be an MWD handler for six years, and had recently lost my partner, MWD Sinda. Sinda and I had deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar for six months, and we had also traveled together on a variety of presidential travel support missions during our time together.”
Jason was still mourning his Sinda when he decided to volunteer to become a foster. He wanted to expand his role in the MWD program and also to have his own partner-in-training, even though he knew it would be temporary. The Breeding Program asked him to foster OOpal after complications arose with her first foster family. Jason got even more than he’d hoped for and he knew it at once. The very moment the program staff put this warrior pup in his arms, Jason’s heart opened. “I immediately noticed the light in her eyes. I knew she had great Military Working Dog potential.”
Jason jokes that OOpal was his assistant kennel master. The handlers who worked for him loved to play with her. Many handlers have never raised a civilian puppy and none of his crew had trained an MWD. “It was good for them to see how their own MWDs likely had been when they were puppies.”
Like most Military Working Dog Breeding Program babies, OOpal was a very clever puppy. But that’s not always a good thing. “I got distracted and was not watching her and our house dog as they played in our yard,” Jason says. “Unbeknownst to me, OOpal had been observing her humans and figured out how to open the back gate latch. In a flash, she and our pug were off on a romp through the neighborhood,” looking like a pair of adorable Disney puppies on the lam.
Fortunately, a neighbor saw OOpal’s collar, and called the emergency number engraved on it. Embarrassed, Jason vowed never to take his attention off his foster pup again. He kept his promise. “OOpal became the partner I loved having by my side. For months, she went with me to work where I was able to do some rudimentary patrol training with her when I wasn’t busy managing the handlers and dogs at the base kennel. OOpal spent hours in my office jumping up on my desk and scouting for toys to play with.”
When he was not at work with OOpal, Jason and his wife Tina took the pup everywhere. “OOpal was always getting into trouble and always silly,” says Jason, One day, as she was nearing the end of her foster time, they felt it was OK to take OOpal on a jog. Then, as they were running, “All at once, OOpal jumped up and bit my wife. Poor Tina was furious. But I was thrilled because it indicated OOpal had prey drive, which is crucial for a MWD!” Tina eventually forgave both of them.
MWD OOpal with her handler under the Northern Lights. PHOTO BY USAF STAFF SGT. SHAWN NICKEL.
Warrior pup OOpal often went to work with her foster dad at Lackland. FAMILY PHOTO.
Foster families often say they feel an emotional loss when their warrior pups hit seven months and must be turned back in to the Puppy Program at Lackland. With Jason, it was no different. “But,” he says, “I also felt satisfied because I had spent so much time preparing OOpal to be a MWD. I knew without a doubt that my work with her would shine through.” As a result Jason was delighted but not surprised when less than eighteen months later, the adorable baby OOpal emerged as a formidable beast after her basic training.
OOpal’s impressive performance led her to certify in both patrol and substance detection. Now it was time for her to be consigned to a home base. Jason hoped that OOpal would be stationed nearby so he could visit her from time to time, but it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, she was carefully shipped to her new home—in Alaska. Nevertheless, Jason reacted like any proud papa after his kid graduated high school with a great GPA.
“I was thrilled to see the photo of her with her handler in the snow with the aurora borealis behind them. I like to think I’ll see her again in this life. Maybe she’ll remember me. I’ll never forget her.” 