KENTWOOD, Mich. (WZZM) -- They formed an unbreakable bond while working as a team in Iraq.
And now, a retired Army sergeant and his bomb-sniffing Army dog are together again, as civilians in West Michigan.
About a year and a half ago military police K9 handler Sgt. Jason Bos was discharged from the Army, and Ceila, the dog he'd worked with for nearly five years, was paired with a new handler and sent to Germany.
But Ceila couldn't quite get used to the new man.
She missed Sgt. Bos and he missed her, so the military decided the dog should join him in civilian life.
"They tell you not to get attached to the dogs, because you never know what's going to happen, so I tried not to but its kind of hard. She is a great dog I just love her," Sgt. Bos said.
Ceila, a labrador, was an explosive-detection dog.
They were deployed in Iraq for a year, coming back the end of December 2009, and they did other work together, as well.
"We've done some pretty cool things together," Sgt. Bos said. "Secret Service missions for the President and Vice President. We did the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte and we also did the United Nations General Assembly in New York City."
They were split up, though, for a time, said Sgt. Bos.
"I ended up injuring my back doing some training, not able to do the things that are necessary to stay in the military, so I had to leave. She was given to another handler and that handler moved to Germany -- an Army base in Germany."
When the Army contacted Sgt. Bos and offered to let him keep her, he was surprised.
"I couldn't believe it. Yea, of course I do! I was kind of depressed the last year and a half, so I'm sure she was too. It really does make me feel better I got her back.
So what's the future hold for the two old soldiers?
"I think im going to try to work with veterans myself just because I understand the constant struggle we have to go through. As for Ceila, she's going to be a couch potato, relax, do whatever she wants to do. Her working time Is over. It's time for her to relax and have fun."
Sgt. Jason Bos in now a student at Davenport University studying business. Ceila, also called Cici, has a new ball to chew on to keep herself busy.
