CHICAGO — Travelers witnessed a heartwarming reunion at Chicago's O'Hare Airport Tuesday. After two years apart, a U.S. Marine veteran reunited with his old military buddy, a trained German shepherd tracking dog with which he served.
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but 9-year-old U.S. Marine canine Atilla R7-89 still had one surprise for his old partner.
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"I got stuck with him in 2014," Sgt. Jacob Varela told WGN. "I brought him from Lackland; he was a combat tracker. And we were together for three years. I got out and haven't seen him since."
The two formed a lasting bond serving in a special operations unit, but have not seen each other since July of 2017.
"We were together for everything. Everywhere I went, he was with me. When we were out in the field, out there for a month, month and a half, whatever, I mean, he was with me. If I was drinking water, he was drinking water, if I was eating, he was eating. He becomes like your teammate," said Varela.
Military dogs do demanding and draining work and eventually, the dogs have to retire. When Varela learned Atilla could no longer work, he wanted to adopt his old buddy. That's where a group called Mission K-9 Rescue stepped in.
"These dogs serve with these guys. They spend 24/7 training with them, putting their lives on the line together, so there's a bond that we can't understand," said Kristen Maurer of Mission K-9 Rescue.
So when Southwest Airlines Flight 7 from Houston arrived, it was clear that absence makes the hound grow fonder. Atilla's excited bark was worth the long flight.
"The way he reacted, the way he jumped, he knows who I am, so that's good," said Varela.
Varela is now working on earning his college degree and said Atilla has earned a relaxing retirement.