Ruff Rider

Photo By Sgt. Kelsey Simmons | Spc. Sadie Kinney, a military working dog (MWD) handler assigned to 69th Military Working Dog Detachment, 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, poses in an obedience course tunnel with her MWD, Aszlam, a German shepherd and patrol drug detector dog, March 8, 2021, Fort Carson, Colorado. Kinney and Aszlam have been working as a team since October, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelsey Simmons)  

FORT CARSON, CO, UNITED STATES

03.12.2021

Story by Spc. Kelsey Simmons 

14th Public Affairs Detachment

Ruff Rider
Spc. Kelsey Simmons
14th Public Affairs Detachment



Fort Carson, Colo. — “Motorcycles are my top passion,” said Spc. Sadie Kinney, showing off her dimpled smile. “Then dogs. Then art.”
Here’s the story of how a tragic accident caused this motorcycle-riding, dog-loving, artist to go from bikes to barks and join the military.
Kinney, a 31K military working dog (MWD) handler, assigned to the 69th Military Working Dog Detachment (69th MWD), 759th Military Police Battalion (759th MP Bn.), 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Carson, grew up with two dogs who she loved to train; her family’s golden retriever, Kobe, and her own tiger-striped pit bull, Dolcé.
According to Kinney, she became so good at training dogs, her friends asked her to train theirs as well, even though she had no professional training of her own.
Aside from teaching dogs new tricks, her favorite hobbies include singing, drawing, and working on or riding motorcycles, she said.
She started riding motorcycles in 2015, and absolutely loved it. She grew to love it so much that she and her boyfriend at the time, Michael Edwards, decided to open their own motorcycle shop.
She moved from her home state of Virginia to Maryland, where he and his family were living, to be with him.
“We dated for about a year and a half -- almost two years,” said Kinney.
In 2017, she happily celebrated her 21st birthday, not knowing her life would be changed forever in the days to come.
Two days later, Kinney and Edwards decided to go out for a ride.
“A car cut us off while we were coming around a bend,” she said. “I kept trying to keep up with him, because I don’t like for people to ride by themselves. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Unable to keep up, Kinney watched in horror as the car caused a tragic accident right in front of her, which ended with Edwards underneath the car.
“As soon as it happened, I jumped off the bike and ran over,” she said. “I was trying to lift the car and yelling at the driver to help move or lift it. I tried talking to him, saying, ‘I’m right here Mike. I’m right here. Just stay with me.’ I was trying to console him and be there for him.”
Kinney’s efforts continued until paramedics finally arrived at the scene.
“They lifted the car, got him out, and started CPR,” said Kinney.
After Edwards was taken to the hospital, Kinney had no idea if she would ever see her boyfriend again.
“It was a crazy week— an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs,” said Kinney. “One day the doctors are saying ‘It’s gonna be okay,’ the next day, they’re saying ‘It’s bad again.’ They kept making me feel like there was hope, then out of nowhere, I was told there was nothing more that could be done -- so they pulled the plug.”
After Edwards’ death, Kinney stayed with his family for a few months, where they were able to support each other and grieve together.
“I really didn’t know what to do,” she said. “I felt like, ‘What is there left for me here?’ I didn’t want to go back home. I wanted to start fresh and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
Edwards' mother had told Kinney that he originally wanted to join the Air Force, but a previous injury prevented him from doing so.
“I figured I could either sit around and be depressed all day, letting my life slip away, or I could do something,” she said. “So I decided to join the military. It was a way for him to live through me with what he originally planned to do.”
Kinney said her love for dogs, as well as her previous experience in amateur dog training, is what helped her to choose the military occupational speciality of a 31K and solidify her career in the military.
“I started looking at jobs and I saw one about dogs, and I was like, ‘Yup. That’s it right there,’” she said.
According to Kinney, some of the duties of a MWD team include obedience training, on-leash and off-leash training, gunfire reaction training, controlled aggression, scouting, building searches and drug detection.
Kinney’s first duty station was in Fort Carson, Colorado, where she was teamed with her first MWD, a German shepherd named Laska, who was a patrol explosives detector dog (PEDD).
Her previous experience in dog-handling paid off, because she quickly impressed many of her peers.
“As far as expectations of how a lower-enlisted rookie handler should be, Kinney sets that tone,” said Staff Sgt. Dante Jones, a MWD handler assigned to 69th MWD. “She is very confident, very loyal and very motivated.”
Not only is she great at her job, but her peers believe she is also great to be around in general.
“She’s funny, she has a really good personality and she’s bubbly,” said Pfc. Braxton Keasler, a MWD Handler assigned to 69th MWD. “She is just someone really good to have around in the workplace.”
A few months after arriving at Fort Carson, Kinney and her second PEDD, a Malinois named Cigi, were given orders for a deployment to Egypt.
“I really enjoyed my time in Egypt,” she said. “I got to meet different people from different countries and see different cultures. It was just amazing to me.”
It was fortunate she enjoyed her time on deployment, because due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, her stay in Egypt lasted three more months than planned.
After one year on deployment, she was finally able to go back home to Colorado. Soon after, she was teamed up with her third and current dog, a patrol drug detector dog (PDDD), named Aszlam.
Aszlam is a 4 year old German shepherd who shares a very close bond with his teammate, Kinney.
“He’s a big puppy, but he can still turn on his switch,” said Kinney. “He really won’t leave my side for the most part. He’s very protective.”
With three dog teams under her belt, Kinney has become a talented dog handler, and her peers wholeheartedly agree.
“When it comes to working with the dogs she’s probably one of the best we’ve got,” Keasler said. “She is one of the best dog handlers I’ve seen.”
Even as a specialist, Kinney exudes qualities of a noncommissioned officer when it comes to training new Soldiers in her unit.
“Spc. Kinney is always trying to help when she can,” Jones said. “No matter what she is doing, she’s always enforcing the standards.”
Kinney’s positive attitude about her work translates to how she views life as a whole.
“I’m an optimistic person, and a hard worker when I am passionate about something,” Kinney said. “I love to help train as much as I can with the knowledge I have. I am always receptive to learning different ways to train and finding ways to better myself in my profession.”
Kinney says she loves her job, and also feels like her past struggles and tragedies don’t slow her down, but instead push her to be better every day.
“With everything I’ve been through, I don’t think many other people would’ve been able to last,” she said. “My grandpa, who’s a Navy veteran, always calls me ‘his hero.’ He knows this isn’t easy for me, and always tries to push me through it.”
Kinney says she is very passionate about pushing others to do their best as well, regardless of who they are, what their gender is, where they came from, or what has happened in their past.
“I‘m someone who genuinely believes you can do anything you put your mind to,” she said. “It doesn't matter what you’re going through. Remember there’s always a reason to be around and keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t give up just because you hit a hard point in your life. There’s always something you can do. Just believe in yourself.”
-30-

• Date Taken: 03.12.2021
• Date Posted: 03.19.2021 15:26
• Story ID: 391332
• Location: FORT CARSON, CO, US