BARSTOW, Calif. - Sgt. Aron's retirement ceremony lasted maybe 60 seconds. After all, there were tantalizing pizza odors that needed tending to, and other lovely smells to explore. And what can you say about a Marine who never got to see combat, or find a terrorist's bomb?
How about “Arf?”
It's not that Aron wasn't thanked for his service. He most certainly was. And more importantly, he found a forever home with another member of the Marine Corps Police Department at Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif.
Aron M595 is a beautiful black German shepherd who came to MCLB in October 2014 from Camp Pendleton as a canine trained to detect explosives. Unfortunately, medical issues with his hips prevented him from becoming a permanent member of the base's K-9 Corps. So Lt. Robert Ortiz and his cadre of K-9 handlers began to prepare Aron for life in the civilian world.
They had to make sure he would not respond aggressively to a new family, and that he would become a safe and happy companion.
"We had to desensitize the dog to his training in controlled aggression," said Ortiz. The job was easier than with some K-9s. "His demeanor was very easygoing."
They produced a bite-muzzle video, which was evaluated by an animal behavior specialist, to show that Aron was well socialized and adapted to living in the civilian world.
And so a fellow police officer, Jeffrey Tyler Minter, adopted 8-year-old Aron, who seems happy sharing his new home with a Great Dane and a chocolate Labrador retriever, as well as Minter's human family. Minter had never worked with the K-9s, but he was friends with the handlers, and decided that Aron would be a good fit for his household.
Ortiz said being away from living in a kennel has improved Aron's health, even though the weakness in his back legs is still noticeable.
Even with all the fuss about his retirement, Aron was unfazed. Chasing around his red plastic bone seemed to occupy his energies, and he got to visit his old buddies back in the kennel. Plus he was allowed to eat some pizza.
"We're grateful for his service," said Ortiz during the ceremony, "his service to the Marine Corps, his country, and this department."
Semper Fi, Aron.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2015 16:20 |
| Story ID: | 175058 |
| Location: | BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, K-9 Aron has a new home, by Cynthia McIntyre, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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