Information

Dexter

The Storm Telenine

Owner: Storm

Age: 9 years, 5 months, 2 weeks

Born: November 19th, 2014

Adopted: 1 year, 11 months, 2 weeks ago

Adopted: May 21st, 2022

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 0
   
• Books Read: 0
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

I started my training at just 8 weeks old. That first day of training was brutal on us pups. We were pushed to our limits and then some and by the end of the day we were beat. However that was our lives from now on and we would have to get used to it. After a week of training we would be assigned to our handlers and be able to work with them.

My purpose was to assist my handler in the field sniffing for bombs. Although I did not understand how important my job was at the time I still felt that some day my handler and I would have a great significance. At the end of that first week of training a number of bright new men and women were introduced to us, I took particular interest in a young woman standing to the side. She had light brown hair and her face was friendly but stern. I galloped over to her while the other pups wandered around sniffing the ground. An instructor called out to me; "306 heel." I sat directly in front of the young lady and she looked at me with a big smile. I sat there as she asked the instructor about me and I heard the instructor reply "He's a good one but he can be a bit stubborn." The young girl bent down, patted my head and said "He's a winner, I would like 306 as my new partner."

I didn't spend much time with my litter mates after that. I spent the majority of my time with the young girl who I learned was called Penny. She spent hours training me, and the work was hard but her commands were easy to follow so I enjoyed the time we spent together.

It wasn't long before I was completely trained and my partner Penny and I could begin working in the field together. Our first job was on July 9th. To what I can understand an unknown male had been leaving bombs in public buildings and we were assigned to one of the bombs that he had placed. I could sense that Penny was nervous, and I was a little nervous myself because it was my first time in the field. We walked in together and Penny gave me my command. "Seek" she said and I followed her command as I would in training. I could smell the bomb but it was not on the first floor where we had started our search. I led my partner up the steps to the second floor and the smell got stronger and stronger. I led Penny right to the door of the men's bathroom on the second floor. I lowered my head gave a growl as a warning and then began to bark loudly. Penny took out her radio and called the bomb squad to come up and disarm the bomb. It was a very successful day and Penny rewarded me with my favorite tennis ball.

The most memorable day on the job was 3 years into our career together. We were stationed to be at a large containment area where there were multiple storage units. The bomb could have been anywhere and I was the one who Penny and everyone else was counting on to find it. We started at one end and began to walk through. It seemed to take forever for me to pick up the scent and I was beginning to get frustrated. I picked up a faint scent of powder and began trailing it. "Sniff...sniff...sniff..." Got it! I picked up a strong trail that lead me right to the door of container 146. I lowered my head to growl but something didn't feel right. I backed up and Penny could tell something was wrong. Penny began to back away from the container as well as I listened, I could hear tick...tick...tick... the bomb was live! I turned towards Penny and barked while nudging her hand with my nose. But, by the time Penny got the message and began to run the bomb exploded! I jumped on Penny's back knocking her forward and into the ground.

When I became conscious again I could hear sirens and all sorts of beeps and buzzers. There were some men hooking Penny up to some sort of electrical machine that zapped her chest. Her body jutted upward as they provided her with the shocks. A man walked over to me and I heard him call out "Thor is still breathing!" A woman called back saying "Get him a stretcher and load him onto the ambulance with Penny!"

Things were a little fuzzy for a while. I was in and out of consciousness until a bright sunny morning that I later learned was November 14th. I was still bandaged because my body was heavily damaged by burns and a few cuts from debris. I whimpered as my eyes opened and a man dressed in white walked over to where I was laying. He was a doctor, Penny's doctor. He lead me into a room where she still lay in a coma. Her family was there in the room with her. A woman who had been crying walked over to me, bent down and patted my head. She sobbed but said nothing at that moment. She stepped outside the door and held her head in her hands. I walked over to Penny's bedside and propped myself up with my front paws. I scooted my head under her arm and laid my head on her side. I laid there like that for a while and heard the various verbal exchanges between the doctor and what seemed to be Penny's parents. The doctor said that she was in a coma for 6 weeks and that having me there would be a good step towards getting her back. I didn't understand exactly where she had gone but I figured I would do my best to lead her home. I nuzzled her hand like I always did and gave her kisses under her incredibly bruised chin, then I prayed that she would awaken and I would have my Penny back.

A little more time passed and I had fallen asleep by Penny's side. I was dreaming and dreamed about the accident over and over. I awoke to a slight movement. It felt like fingers curling in the fur on my back. Penny's parents were asleep in the chairs that were placed in the room, and there was not a doctor or nurse in sight, so that must mean... Penny! Yes when I looked up Penny was looking back at me and a tear rolled down over her cheek. I wagged my tail harder than I ever did before. She whispered "My friend, my partner, you saved me." I let out an excited bark by mistake as I was caught up in the moment and when I did Penny's parents leaped to their feet! "Penny! Penny!" the shouted. I barked again as she began telling them that if it was not for me that she would not be here. The doctor came in after that and they talked for a long time.

Penny was released from the hospital two weeks later after she had healed enough to walk on her own. Her hearing had been affected as was mine. Penny told me that she would arrange something to honor me so that the whole world would know what I did for her. She came true to her word. She had a medal made in my honor, a scholarship for the program that she graduated from and after the lot was cleared where the bomb went off she had a dog park built in my honor where a statue of me stood in the center. The plate on the statue read:

In Honor of Dexter

Bomb Seeking Unit

An Outstanding Canine Citizen

Partner, Best Friend, Hero.

It was not long after that when I went completely deaf. I was useless to my profession but Penny was also retired after going through what she did. I remained by her side for the rest of my days and my life had never had as much meaning until I spent it curled up on a mat by the feet of my beloved partner Penny.

Named for my RL Doberman/Pitbull mix Dexter who would protect me through anything.

Pet Treasure

Pet Friends

Bam
My Hooman Mom

Gamer
My Hooman Dad