Nick Montez is a Marine who served in Afghanistan in 2011. He worked with Mally, a bomb-sniffing yellow lab, while there. When they returned home from their tour, she was swiftly separated from him to serve elsewhere. He passed years without knowing where she was or whether she was still in the military. All he wanted was to see his long-lost partner again, but he didn’t know if he’d ever see her again. Until he received a call he never expected to get. Mally was about to retire from the military and needed a good home, and Nick was about to have the reunion of his dreams.
After Years Apart, A Marine Is Reunited With The Service Dog He Served With
Off To A Strong Start
Nick Montez, a Marine from Lewiston, Idaho, is a member of the United States Marine Corps. He served for four years, including a deployment to Afghanistan with his yellow Labrador retriever partner Mally. Nick finished the Marine Corps’ dog-handler program in early 2011. He was paired with Mally at the time. Nick and Mally were soon dispatched to Garmsir, Afghanistan. For nearly seven months, the pair worked together on dismount patrols hunting for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the ground. Their efforts saved the lives of thousands of Marines and civilians.
Off To A Strong Start
Making A Bond
Mally was a steady companion for Nick during a difficult period in his life. Winters in southern Afghanistan are notoriously chilly, and Mally would even snuggle up to Nick while he slept at night, keeping the two of them warm. They had an unfathomable bond. Nick and Mally had to part ways after a multi-year service in Afghanistan, and Nick was concerned that he would never see his partner again.
Making A Bond
It’s Difficult To Say Goodbye
After their deployment in 2012, Nick and Mally returned to the United States. They went to a Marine Corps aviation station in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Nick and his other Marine dog handlers assumed they would only spend a few days with their partners before the dogs were transferred on to another assignment. They all assumed they’d have plenty of time to say their goodbyes. When the Marines eventually stepped off the plane, they discovered that they had been mistaken.
It’s Difficult To Say Goodbye
Unanticipated Departure
When Nick and Mally stepped off the plane, they were greeted by a truck trailer full of dog kennels. When Nick and the other dog handlers were told to pack their dogs into their kennels, they were still letting Mally use the restroom. So Nick loaded Mally into her kennel and drove away with the trailer full of dogs. Nick never saw Mally again. He didn’t know if he’d ever see her again at the time. Nick described it as one of the most difficult experiences he has ever had.
Unanticipated Departure
Separate Ways
After Mally was taken away, Nick continued his service with the Marines for another year. On July 12, 2013, he was honorably discharged. He had served four years in total. However, Mally’s assistance was still required. Mally was taken to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas to continue her service once she finished working with Nick. Nick couldn’t stop thinking about Mally even after he was released. He still missed her and wanted to see her again one day.
Separate Ways
Possible Adoption
Nick decided to apply for adoption after Mally was taken away from him in 2013. The application was handled by the Department of Defense. Duty dogs would be retired after a specified number of years of service and made available for adoption. Typically, service dogs are adopted by a former handler or someone they are familiar with. So Nick wanted to make it clear to everyone that he intended to adopt Mally when she reached the end of her career.
Possible Adoption
He’s Missing His Partner
Nick thought about Mally every day after he was discharged from the Marines. He fantasized about the day he’d be reunited with Mally and bring her home for good. Their time together in Afghanistan strengthened their friendship. It was a unique kinship that few others could comprehend. Nick and Mally performed perilous duties and relied on each other for protection. They literally trusted each other with their lives, and that is an unbreakable tie.
He’s Missing His Partner
Needing More
When the time came, Nick was moved to file for Mally’s adoption because of their deep bond. It was also the reason he thought about her every day. Mally was stolen from him so quickly that he didn’t have time to say goodbye. It appeared to him that their relationship had no resolution. Instead, all he had were “what ifs” and his recollections of their time together. As a result of this, Nick began to inquire about Mally’s services.
Needing More
Searching
Nick began looking for additional information on Mally and her service after completing the adoption application. At the time he began looking, the company that had handled his dog handler training was being absorbed by a new, larger company. The shift made it difficult to contact anyone, and answers to his questions were sporadic at best. Nick was unable to contact anyone who could assist him by the time the company’s ownership had been transferred. In fact, he couldn’t contact anyone at all.
Searching
He Located Her
Nick was eventually able to gather enough information to determine that Mally was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The good news for Nick was that he had a friend, Derek Brown, who was stationed at the same air force installation. Derek was able to put Nick in touch with someone who knew something about Mally. The bad news was that Mally’s services were still required and she would not be retiring anytime soon. Nick sought to keep this channel of contact open for years so he could check in on Mally whenever he wanted.
He Located Her
Losing Hope
The more time passed, Nick became increasingly convinced that he would never be able to realistically adopt Mally. He was devastated by the circumstances, and even if he couldn’t adopt Mally when she retired, he hoped to see her one last time. However, he was beginning to lose hope. The next best thing Nick could do was get a tattoo of Mally in case that was all he had to remember her by.
Losing Hope
A Tattoo For Mally
Nick got a tattoo of a giant dog paw with the word “Mally” printed over the top. The number “R798” was written beneath the dog’s paw. His tattoo is on the back of his calf. Mally’s identification number was “R798.” In fact, she had that number tattooed under her ear in a similar method as Nick. Nick got the tattoo to remember his bomb-sniffing buddy years before he ever imagined being able to adopt Mally.
A Tattoo For Mally
A New Hope
When Nick made contact with his friend in the air force, Derek, he was ecstatic that he might finally be able to get Nick some answers. Derek discovered someone else stationed at Lackland Air Force Base who had information about Mally. Nick was finally able to acquire some answers. While Mally was still serving, Nick knew he could check in on her on a frequent basis to avoid losing her in the system.
A New Hope
Still Working
Nick began to check in with Mally on a regular basis by contacting his source at Lackland Air Force Base. In fact, he attempted to contact them every six months and never waited more than a year to verify if Mally was still in service. As it turned out, she was still working and nowhere close to retiring every time he asked. It seemed that every time Nick got his expectations up, something happened to deflate them. Especially what happened after that.
Still Working
Radio Silence
The agent from Lackland Air Force Base stopped communicating with Nick despite his loyalty to Mally by calling every six to twelve months for several years. They abruptly stopped returning Nick’s phone calls and emails. They made no attempt to communicate with one another. Nick was heartbroken. He spent a long time gathering information about Mally’s service. He had no idea if she had retired and been adopted by someone else. Nick had almost given up on hope.
Radio Silence
Nowhere Left To Turn
Nick was at a loss about what to do after being turned down by authorities from Lackland Air Force Base. He was almost ready to give up trying. It wasn’t until one of his buddies’ father decided enough was enough. He wanted to assist someone who deserved it. Donn Durgan was the individual in question. He decided to assist by contacting United States Senator Mike Crapo. His efforts were soon rewarded when the senator’s office called out and offered Nick’s cause their support.
Nowhere Left To Turn
Unexpected Help
Nick was prepared to give up on ever adopting Mally at that point. Every time he got his expectations up, they were quickly dashed by unfavorable circumstances. Nick was tired of the emotional roller coaster he was riding. He felt like he was at a dead end with no way out. He saw no value in seeking Mally’s adoption. He was willing to give up in order to avoid further pain. That is until he received a call from Senator Mike Crapo’s office.
Unexpected Help
Back To Believing
Senator Mike Crapo’s office wrote to Nick, suggesting that he would assist him in contacting Mally. While Nick isn’t sure what he did to whip the people at Lackland Air Force Installation back into shape, it clearly worked because he heard from the base in Texas less than 12 hours after receiving the letter. A colonel approached Nick and apologized profusely. He even promised that such a thing would never happen again. This time would be different, and Nick knew it. He decided not to give up on Mally’s adoption after all.
Back To Believing
A Fateful Phone Call
Nick received the call he believed would never come three years after practically giving up hope on permanently adopting Mally, and nearly seven years after she was unexpectedly stolen from him. Mally’s service was coming to an end, according to the voice on the other end of the call. She was getting ready to retire and was looking for a forever family. His adoption request had been approved, and he would be allowed to bring her home. Nick and Mally would be reunited for the first time.
A Fateful Phone Call
Finally Ready
Nick was 27 years old at the time of the call and had just started working as an apprentice electrician at Clearwater Paper. When he received the call, he stated his stomach plummeted in astonishment and excitement. The call surprised Nick because he had faced so many barriers along the way that he had given up hope. He’d given up hope several times, but his desire to reunite with his long-lost lover never wavered. And now Nick’s perseverance and patience were going to pay off. He only needed to wait a few more weeks.
Finally Ready
Plans For Mally
When Nick received the call that his adoption application had been granted, he had to wait a few more weeks for her service to be legally completed. That gave him plenty of time to fantasize about how their reunion would actually be. Nick was well aware that he was about to drastically alter Mally’s life. She was going to be his and his 3-year-old daughter’s household canine and company. He planned to take her camping and trekking and, more than likely, to let her sleep on the bed. Mally would no longer be employed. “She’s going to be a princess.” he predicted.
Plans For Mally
No Longer Working
Mally, who had previously worked as a bomb dog and a bird dog, had spent her entire life working. Nick believed it was past time for her to be treated like a family member rather than a tool. Nick was ready to go collect Mally as soon as he got the all-ahead. But Nick still had one more hurdle to overcome. Because Mally was in Texas and he was in Idaho, he would have to travel to bring his best friend home.
No Longer Working
Help To The Rescue
Nick needed a way to transport Mally all the way from Texas to Idaho. Not only was there the cost of flying to consider, but traveling with a dog would also require some time and patience. Mission K9 Rescue came in at that point. Mission K9 Rescue is a non-profit organization that works hard to reconnect retired military canines with their handlers. When they heard Nick and Mally’s story, they covered all of his travel expenses. And it wasn’t just those at Mission K9 Rescue who wanted to see Nick and Mally reunited.
Help To The Rescue
More Than Enough
One of Nick’s best friends’ mother also aided in Mally’s adoption by establishing a contribution service where individuals could donate money or stuff to help Mally transition easily from military to family life. She saw how important Mally adoption was to Nick and wanted to make the process as simple as possible for him because he had been waiting for so long. Nick had so many donations from people moved by his tale that he had plenty to go around. He ultimately gave 25% to the Lewis-Clark Animal Shelter and 75% to Mission K9 Rescue.
More Than Enough
Anticipation
When it came time for Nick to go get Mally, he admitted that he wasn’t simply excited. He, too, was nervous. Nick was aware that it had been seven years since Mally had seen him, and he was concerned that she might not remember him as fondly as he recalled her. But Nick stayed optimistic and swiftly went on the voyage he had been looking forward to for a long time. Nick was greeted by his long-term contact when he arrived at Lackland Air Force Base from San Antonio International Airport. He greeted Nick outside with a bright smile. With tears in his eyes, he appeared to be moved by the reunion. He escorted him upstairs to finish the papers, and Nick was finally able to see Mally again.
Anticipation
The Long-Awaited Reunion
Nick’s long-awaited moment had arrived, and seeing her again felt weird to him. Mally emerged from her kennel and approached Nick. She greeted him as if she knew precisely who he was as if it hadn’t been years since they’d last seen each other. Nick dropped down on his knees to give her a bear hug, and she immediately began wagging her tail. Mally remembered and adored Nick as she had seven years before. Finally, the duo was reunited as if no time had gone.
The Long-Awaited Reunion
Mally’s Health
Nick was eager to return to Idaho now that Mally was by his side. But it was not going to be a simple journey. Mally was 9 years old when she retired, and her medical file was quite extensive, with various medical concerns. After all, the bomb-sniffing yellow lab had been through a lot during her service in the military, particularly when she assisted with the battle in Afghanistan. Fortunately, none of Mally’s problems was incapacitating.
Mally’s Health
One Last Airplane
Mally’s aircraft flight back to Idaho was her first since she and Nick returned to the United States following their stint in Afghanistan. Overall, Mally behaved well on the airline travel, despite appearing a little nervous at points. That aircraft flight was the last obstacle the pair had to surmount before Mally began living the life of a family dog. Nick was eager to establish a new routine for Mally and introduce her to her new life after finally returning to Idaho with her.
One Last Airplane
Happy Ever After
More importantly, they wanted to show their gratitude to those who helped safeguard their liberty. Nick was surprised by the amount of attention, but he described it as a nice problem to have. He was pleased that his and Mally’s tale had touched so many people and hoped that it will have an impact on the lives of others in similar situations in the future. But for the time being, Nick was content to be reunited with his long-lost lover and to provide her with a happy, loving existence from now on.
Happy Ever After