Entertainment

Bond between man, dog takes center stage on ‘Glory Hounds’

Their love is special. Stationed in Afghanistan they completed many important missions together and their bond only grew stronger. And when he was seriously injured, she was by his side.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Leonard Anderson and his military working dog Azza are one of the couples featured in Animal Planet’s 2-hour documentary Glory Hounds debuting Thursday at 8 p.m.

Q: How long were you and Azza together prior to your accident?

A: About a year.

Q: I’m guessing you went on many missions together?

A: We went through some life-changing events, to say the least. Some of them were more intense, some of them were more compassionate. Every time you go, something different happens and you learn how to cope with the bond between you and her. Whether it was someone else getting injured or her working through some stress issues of what was going on around us. So every time it was a little different but it made everything stronger as time passed.

Q: Had you grown up with a dog and were you used to being around dogs?

A: I grew up with a few dogs, but I had never been around military working dogs or any kind of working dog until I became a handler.

Q: And what made you want to be a handler?

A: To be honest with you, I just wanted another challenge. I didn’t know much about the career field once I chose the path. Once I got into the inner working, I was passionate about it. I knew some of the jobs that they do overseas and I wanted to be part of that.

Q: Has she ever saved your life?

A: Yes. She did a couple of days prior to the event that’s shown in the documentary. About two days prior, we had come across two [improvised explosive devices] and she had found them and let me know they were up ahead.

Q: Watching the documentary, we see you blown up. Did Azza do something wrong?

A: No. A buddy of mine described it as a perfect storm situation. There was nothing you could do about it. Plus, it was remotely detonated. Even if something would have happened differently, I’m pretty confident the guy who was watching would have set it off.

Q: What was your first thought when you saw her in the airport [after you came home]?

A: Excitement. Relief. Everything all wrapped into one package. All of the emotions you could think of.

Q: Isn’t it rare that you would get to adopt your dog?

A: Honestly, it’s all in timing. As a wounded warrior they really push for you to get that dog because it’s a huge rehabilitation factor to have that dog at home with you.

Q: What is your day-to-day life with Azza?

A: We wake up in the morning. She has her own bed she sleeps in. She tries to get up in [my] bed but my wife isn’t having it. And everywhere I go she’s there. If I go in a room and shut a door she’ll actually paw at the door to try and get in. I’m actually in the process of getting her service-dog certified so she can go anywhere with me.

Q: Do you feel she’s still making sure everything’s safe around you?

A: Absolutely. Her ears are always up. Little radar antennas is what I call them. She’s out in front of me all the time looking around. If something was going down, I’m pretty sure she’d let me know.

Q: Have you watched the documentary?

A: I have.

Q: Were you surprised how intently Azza was watching you when the medics were taking care of you?

A: The way Craig the cameraman described it was he had never seen a dog make such a human face. They didn’t show what happened after that. Once it was clear she could come up, she actually came up and lay down beside me.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with Azza?

A: That’s hard to put into words. Almost like a brother-sister. It’s a life-long bond. I don’t even look at her as a dog anymore. She’s a sibling to me. It’s unconditional love. There’s a bond there that won’t be broken ever.

Q: What’s the most important thing people should know about military working dogs?

A: How important our job is in saving lives, in my opinion. We do countless hours of training and try to set up realistic scenarios, all for other people. We walk out front to save lives. They have found ways to beat machines. They have found ways to beat equipment. They ain’t figured out a way to beat a dog yet. It’s not just for me. It’s not just to protect the handler. It’s to protect everybody behind us that’s trying to complete a mission. And the No. 1 goal when you go outside the wire in Afghanistan is to protect people you are with. Your No. 1 goal is to bring everybody home. One thing I learned a long time ago is lead from the front. We’re in the business of saving lives. That’s what we do.