Deployed Military Working Dog dies from medical condition Published Jan. 25, 2008 By Holly Birchfield 78th ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, GA -- Senior Airman John Spearing, a military working dog handler in the 78th Security Forces Squadron, set out on his first deployment with Rexo, a 7-year-old German shepherd explosives detection and patrol military working dog in November 2007. Although the 23-year-old Pueblo, Colo., native knew the value of the dog's work, his true appreciation for his K-9 partner and friend was realized inside the walls of the Balad Air Base hospital where his faithful companion died on Dec. 6, during surgery to break up a kidney stone in his bladder. A few short days earlier, as Airman Spearing was taking Rexo out for a break, he noticed the dog was expelling blood as he urinated. Airman Spearing took Rexo to the base's veterinarian staff that performed a series of medical tests to diagnose and treat the problem. After trying different methods to help Rexo pass the stone, finally a urologist performed surgery to break up the stone. It was a surgery that proved too much for the canine. "(On) the day of the surgery, he was fine," Airman Spearing said. "They put him under and about an hour into the surgery, there were complications. First, he stopped breathing." Airman Spearing said Rexo's heart began to give out during the surgery, so the veterinarian and other assisting surgeons began giving chest compressions on the dog, while Airman Spearing fed his partner oxygen. Moments later, Rexo's body gave out. It was more than Airman Spearing could take. "Oh, I didn't move," he said. "At first, I thought he was breathing real slow, so at first, I didn't think anything else. When it took about 20 minutes to resuscitate him, it really hit me." Airman Spearing said losing Rexo was like losing a family member. "He becomes like a part of your family," he said. "Rexo was a pretty happy dog. Even on your worst day, he could make you smile." Airman Spearing said he spent a lot of his free time hanging out with his best friend. "In Balad, especially when you're attached to the Army, that dog stays with you," he said. "He'd sleep in the same room with me. He would just jump up on the bed, hang out, and watch TV. I'd take him for breaks and walks." The handler's bond with Rexo was strong. "You'd see him almost every single day for seven months," he said. "Even on the weekends, you go in and check on him. Probably the longest I've been away from him was for four days when I went on a cruise. That was the only thing I was thinking about was going back and taking him out of his kennel." Airman Spearing wasn't the only one bonded to Rexo though. Senior Airman Shawn Kaup, a military working dog handler in the 78th SFS who worked with Rexo for a year and a half, and deployed for about six months with the dog, also held Rexo in high esteem. "Rexo was a very laid back, loving, very compassionate military working dog," he said. "He always wanted to be around his handler. He was very loyal to his handler. He was very obedient and very deserving of the name 'military working dog." When the solitude of their deployments left Airman Kaup feeling lonely, the father of two knew he had one he could count on. "As dog handlers, when we deploy, we're not joined with other people or other squads," he said. "We're there by ourselves. When I was deployed to Iraq, it was just him and me. He was kind of not necessarily my partner, but he was like my son in a way. He was always there. He always gave me someone to talk to. If I was down, he could lift my spirit just by (our) playing together, wrestling around, licking my face. He was a very compassionate, very lovable, very loyal dog." Rexo, who had been with the 78th SFS since May 2003, impressed people with his on-the-job skills also. From performing explosive detection sweeps at area schools to securing areas where the President of the United States would visit, Airman Kaup said the military working dog was always on his game professionally. Rexo earned numerous awards during his military career. Members of the 78th SFS said they lost a valuable part of their work family that December day. Tech. Sgt. David Barber, kennel master in the 78th SFS, said the loss has left many in the squadron in dismay. "It's just kind of a shock to lose a dog that young," he said. "(With) the older dogs, you have time to prepare for it. But, with Rexo, we looked forward to working with him for many years to come, but then he was gone." The squadron will hold a memorial service in honor of Rexo in the future.