Huck

"Lying on the ground by his feet is a large German Shepard, breathing quietly as if asleep.""'Bork' - Huck"

Personality
Huck is a well trained and polite canine with a friendly disposition towards most people. He particularly enjoys attention and exercise and will often bring balls and other toys to new people in an effort go get them to play.

He is also trained in bomb detection and take downs, and is quick to follow commands and drop opponents. He knows how to disarm and disable people without harming them, and knows the time to play and the time to work.

Appearance
Huck is a larger than average German Shepherd with a rich coat, black fur covering his back and tail with light brown across the rest of his body. He has pointed ears and a long tongue often wagging out of his mouth. He is muscled and lean, without a lot of fat, and is very energetic.

History
Huck was born into the Military Working Dog Program (MWD) at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. From birth he was trained in bomb detection, crowd control, and human takedowns, as well as to work in stressful situations such as combat or tight spaces.

In 2002 Huck was deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom as the main part of the invasion wound down, along with his handler, Aberforth Charleston.

In 2003, the Taliban reorganized and began a concentrated insurgency targeted at US, Afghan, and Coalition troops throughout Afghanistan. This led to an increase in Improvised Explosive Devices, known as IEDs, which furthered the risk to Canine units such as Huck.

In December of 2004 during a patrol near Kabul, an IED detonated under the transport moving Huck, Abe, and a US Army squad of eight other soldiers. Intelligence had given no information that this area was dangerous; they were being transported to find IEDs further afield. The explosion was devastating, killing four members of the squad, and grievously wounding two others as well as Huck. Only Abe and one other member survived mostly unhurt.

Distraught, Abe sought as much help as possible for Huck to prevent euthanisation, including threatening the local vet and guarding Huck's wounded, sleeping body in the kennel. Eventually, he was confronted by a "Suit." A man who introduced himself as a member of "the Defense Department" who offered to take Abe - who was at risk for discharge for his behavior - and Huck back to the United States. The man said they would help Huck, in exchange for Abe's employment in a program run by the Defense Department. Abe agreed.

Skills
Huck is a skilled guard dog, who excels at identifying explosives and taking down armed combatants in a non-lethal way. He is fast, strong for his size, and quick to follow commands both verbal and non-verbal.

Goals
Running around. Making people happy. Playing fetch.