CUTE MOMENT AIR FORCE DOG REUNITES WITH HIS HANDLER AFTER A YEAR OF SEPARATION

What can be cuter than the moment a furry friend is reunited with his best buddy a year? Well, maybe when a military dog was reunited with her former handler for retirement after being reassigned and separated for a year.

The military fury friend, Xxanthe, has served alongside K-9 handler US Air Force Sergeant Wade Alfson in undisclosed locations in the Middle East for 18 months during 2019 and 2020. However, their journey ended when SSgt. Alfson was reassigned to Hawaii in early 2020.

After years of life-long service detecting IED's, the ten-year-old Xxanthe retired for old age. After a year of being apart, Xxanthe has finally been reunited with her beloved handler in Honolulu, Hawaii, to enjoy a well-earned retirement. 25-year-old sergeant Alfson said: "The first few moments getting to see Xxanthe again was pretty much exactly how I wanted it to go. I was a little worried about how she would be, but once she was nearby, she knew exactly who I was and jumped towards me. That felt great because there's always a worry that they'll forget you, but she definitely remembered me and was happy to see me. 

What can be cuter than the moment a furry friend is reunited with his best buddy a year? Well, maybe when a military dog was reunited with her former handler for retirement after being reassigned and separated for a year.

The military fury friend, Xxanthe, has served alongside K-9 handler US Air Force Sergeant Wade Alfson in undisclosed locations in the Middle East for 18 months during 2019 and 2020. However, their journey ended when SSgt. Alfson was reassigned to Hawaii in early 2020.

After years of life-long service detecting IED's, the ten-year-old Xxanthe retired for old age. After a year of being apart, Xxanthe has finally been reunited with her beloved handler in Honolulu, Hawaii, to enjoy a well-earned retirement. 25-year-old sergeant Alfson said: "The first few moments getting to see Xxanthe again was pretty much exactly how I wanted it to go. I was a little worried about how she would be, but once she was nearby, she knew exactly who I was and jumped towards me. That felt great because there's always a worry that they'll forget you, but she definitely remembered me and was happy to see me. 

"She's such a caring and charismatic dog – she was like the morale for all of us soldiers who served together and we all loved her. I told them I was adopting her and they were so excited for her to retire and be with me again. And what a place to retire to. I live two minutes from the beach so Xxanthe, me and my other dog will take trips there to hang out."

Xxanthe will not be spending her time alone, she will be joining Alfson's other dog, a six-year-old Belgian Malinois Kyra. Sergeant Alfson is originally from Vancouver, Washington, where he enlisted in the US army at 18. The brave soldier enlisted to uphold his family legacy of military service. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served before him.

When he was ordered to permanently change his military base to Hawaii, Alfson couldn't take Xxanthe with him but never forgot his faithful companion. "After I left I kept bothering the officers at her base saying, 'she's an old girl, she's ready to retire now' and trying to get the ball rolling. I kept in touch with everyone and then once the time was coming, they kept me updated and I made sure that I was the number-one slot to get her. It was a weight off my shoulders getting help from American Humane because being here in the midst of COVID it's a pain getting on and off the island, especially traveling through multiple states and traveling with a dog. But with their help the logistics were painless, streamlined and she's here now – it's exactly what I wanted to happen, I couldn't thank them enough."

While on retirement, Xxanthe has had the best care from American Humane, a national organisation that looks out for the welfare of animals and has a military program that specialises in protecting military dogs. They also identify that military handlers and their K-9 counterparts form unbreakable bonds on the battlefield and that they get separated or one of them retire. 

However, American Humane tracks down retiring military dogs, and organise and fund the reunion with a former handler. This helps provide a lifelong serving dog with lifelong vet care to ensure they get the comfortable and loving retirement they deserve.

Watch their special moment here.