Soldier reunited with his dog (Video)

When soldiers fight overseas, there are a lot of things that they miss about home. First and foremost, they miss seeing their friends, families, and loved ones. They feel homesick, and wonder if they’ll ever make it back home again. It’s a grueling experience, and we should be thankful for their sacrifices. But sometimes, soldiers want to take a little piece of their experience overseas back home with them. That was definitely the case for Army Specialist Vance McFarland. He had a canine companion with him while he was fighting, and as time went on, the pair grew to be inseparable.

Ikar, a Tactical Explosive Detection Dog and his partner Vance worked together during their deployment in Afghanistan three years ago. Vance loved his four-legged pal who made things a little easier during his time away from home. “Sometimes were good, sometimes were stressful,” he said. “Having Ikar definitely made it a lot better. Having a dog with you on deployment is almost like having a little bit of home.”

They got the surprise of a lifetime!

After their deployment, Ikar was separated from McFarland under the terms that there was other work for him with an independent contractor. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen! Ikar stayed without work, all alone in a kennel for nearly 17 months. Thankfully, some good people at the Mission K9 Rescue found Ikar and decided to find a perfect home for the army dog. They tracked down McFarland and sent him messages letting him know about Ikar’s situation. McFarland was delighted to hear about Ikar and decided to bring him home. I’m sure the soldier in this video was a little unsure if his dog would still know him after he had been deployed for three years. Watch McFarland and Ikar’s emotional reunion!