"I promised he'd always be with me now we're a family!”

Autumn Stock and her K9 partner, Zorro, were inseparable for four years while serving together in the Air Force. After their paths parted, Autumn made a vow to never give up on her partner-and soon found a way to give him the life he deserves

- Bill Holton

Staff Sergeant Autumn Stock slipped into the Laughlin Air Force Base kennel. Tomorrow, she was scheduled to begin training as a military dog handler, but for now, the lifelong dog lover was on temporary kennel cleanup duty.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted the seven new recruits that had arrived that morning. Some of them barked back as if to say, "Hello," and one of the dogs, a German shepherd whose name tag read Zorro, caught Autumn's eye.

The connection was electric. She squatted at the kennel door while Zorro rubbed back and forth against the bars, his tail wagging.

There's something special about this one, she thought, and the next day, she nearly jumped for joy when the kennel master announced, "Stock-you're with Zorro."

A special bond

At the end of their first training session, the kennel master handed out thick binders to Autumn and the other handlers. "Rules and regs," he explained. "Read and memorize them while you spend time with your dog." That night, and many nights after, Autumn sat on the kennel floor reading aloud with Zorro at her feet.

The next day on the training field, it was like they could read each other's minds. They met each new challenge and aced every test and evaluation.

After graduation, Autumn and Zorro spent a year at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, checking incoming vehicles for explosives and performing other security work. They then spent a year on active duty in Jordanthe most junior team to be assigned in the Middle East.