A once homeless yellow labrador retriever, Gabe’s story began very differently than his current military career. He was pulled from the streets and taken to the pound where the dirty, yellow dog awaited an unknown fate. But Gabe’s luck began to change once he was pulled from a Harris County animal shelter.

Once safely in the hands of the Southeast Texas Labrador Retriever Rescue, his caretakers quickly saw that this dog had potential to be a working animal. They contacted the military where he was soon transported to an airforce base in San Antonio for training to sniff out bombs. One year later, Gabe was chosen to accompany his handler into Iraq.

Gabe has since racked up an impressive record of finds over the 170 patrols he has been called to conduct. In honor of his achievements, the American Kennel Club recently awarded the once homeless hero with the Heroic Military Working Dog Award.

Gabe, shown here with handler Sgt. Charles Schuck

Source:

http://www.examiner.com/x-1911-Dallas-Pet-Scene-Examiner~y2009m1d2-Former-Texas-pound-dog-now-working-in-Iraq