A bond developed between this veteran and his bomb-sniffing dog. Now they may be separated forever

A Marine Corps veteran is fighting to keep a bomb-sniffing dog he said he has spent “almost every second� with for the past year at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, as their deployment together comes to an end this week, even though it would be a breach of protocol.

Defense contractor Constellis hired Richard Pickett-White through a subsidiary to help dogs like Abel, a herding dog known as a Belgian Malinois, pass a certification process proving he could sniff out deadly explosives. Pickett-White and Abel, who were paired together several months before heading overseas, were never intended to go home together. But the former Marine said he and the dog have developed a strong connection that he’s not ready to break.

“Just having to let go, to end this bond, is hard. You can’t just expect it to disconnect like a plug from a socket,� Pickett-White said over a video call from his 85-square-foot room in Kabul. Abel, who resembles a German shepherd, sat by his side throughout most of the interview.

Pickett-White first contacted the security firm about the possibility of purchasing Abel late last year, when their pairing was initially expected to end. Constellis officials said they communicated a negative response. In February, Pickett-White launched a GoFundMe to raise $25,000 to offer to the company — a figure he said far exceeds Abel’s market value. He has raised nearly $30,000 to date.

Top brass at Constellis say Abel — like all of their dogs — is simply not for sale.

“He’s an employee of ours. You don’t sell employees,� said Sharon Watts, chief administrative officer for Constellis.

There’s nothing legally barring the sale of such a dog, but “it would set a terrible precedent for us,� said Gary Moore, the firms’s chief legal officer. “It’s not industry standard. And it’s not how these dogs work.�

Acknowledging the business and logistical concerns tied to his ask, Pickett-White said, “There are some special cases, and I feel that we’re definitely one of them. I’ve tried to convey the evidence that this isn’t just a normal dude — he’s my dude.�

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Pickett-White and Abel will soon board a plane together and arrive in Washington, D.C. on Friday evening. It’s there that they are slated to separate — possibly forever.

Under the terms of Pickett-White’s contract with Constellis, which runs until May of next year, he is set to go on a short leave and then return to Afghanistan to begin where he left off with a different dog, Constellis officials said. Due to a change in the way government contracts are handled, Abel is no longer eligible for the same service, according to Pickett-White. Without Abel, Pickett-White is no longer sure he wants to deploy again.

Constellis officials declined to go into details about the contracting process, but said Abel could still do important work — whether in the United States or abroad. They added that nothing had changed in their contract with Pickett-White as of Wednesday, and he had not communicated a desire to end his employment.

Once Abel is set to retire from his specialized work — which Constellis officials said depends both on the dog’s age and personal desire to work — he will be made available for adoption, according to company policy. His previous handlers, including Pickett-White, would be given the option of first refusal. Pickett-White estimates Abel, who just turned 3, won’t retire for another four years.

It’s common for handlers and their dogs to develop a close relationship, but there’s a business element inherent to the profession, according to Ohio-based police dog trainer Paul Shaughnessy, who was not familiar with Picket-White’s situation and spoke generally.

“Their dog becomes their confidant, they get this great bond, and it’s a wonderful thing,� Shaughnessy said. “It’s just that in this situation, that dog belongs to the company. He signed a contract.�

Zach Skow, owner of Marley Mutt’s Dog Rescue in California, shared Pickett-White’s campaign with the nonprofit’s 214,000 Instagram followers on Memorial Day to raise awareness. Despite the extenuating circumstances, Skow is not convinced it has to be so cut-and-dried.

“I think there’s there’s room to be more empathetic, especially when you’re talking about veterans who fought in this country,� said Skow, who runs programs that connect dogs with marginalized populations.