1 00:00:00,620 --> 00:00:02,650 - [Daria] For as long as I can remember, 2 00:00:02,650 --> 00:00:06,030 I wanted to be a hero, to protect people. 3 00:00:06,030 --> 00:00:09,000 But no one told me about the office part of the job. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:10,400 When they said I'll have to sit at a computer 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,320 and do admin stuff, my mom does that, 6 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:16,580 that's her, Staff Sergeant April Ray. 7 00:00:16,580 --> 00:00:20,270 Having paws doesn't get me very far with a computer. 8 00:00:20,270 --> 00:00:23,850 My name is Daria, and I'm a military working dog. 9 00:00:23,850 --> 00:00:25,560 I'm stationed at Travis Air Force Base 10 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,140 and recently passed all of my certifications. 11 00:00:28,140 --> 00:00:31,020 I am so excited to finally get out of training status 12 00:00:31,020 --> 00:00:33,930 because it felt like forever. 13 00:00:33,930 --> 00:00:35,890 It's been a long road but I remember my training 14 00:00:35,890 --> 00:00:38,523 at Lackland Air Force Base like it was yesterday. 15 00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:42,460 The military instructors, the drills, 16 00:00:42,460 --> 00:00:46,053 the tactical training, ah memories. 17 00:00:48,770 --> 00:00:51,300 And that brings me where I am today. 18 00:00:51,300 --> 00:00:53,870 I'm primarily trained as a detection dog. 19 00:00:53,870 --> 00:00:55,930 I get to sniff around for contraband most days, 20 00:00:55,930 --> 00:00:57,930 and I love sniffing. 21 00:00:57,930 --> 00:01:00,880 So you'll see me at the gates searching vehicles routinely. 22 00:01:02,170 --> 00:01:04,323 The rest of the time I'm training. 23 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,020 We do what my mom calls controlled aggression training, 24 00:01:09,020 --> 00:01:11,463 all I know is, I get to bite people. 25 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,253 We conduct tactical awareness and obedience training. 26 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:19,270 She keeps me busy on the job, 27 00:01:19,270 --> 00:01:22,550 and I get a lot of goof PT when we go on patrol. 28 00:01:22,550 --> 00:01:25,630 I was kinda nervous when I first got to Travis, 29 00:01:25,630 --> 00:01:27,980 but my new mom assured me she was gonna take care of me 30 00:01:27,980 --> 00:01:30,963 and train me to be the best military working dog I can be. 31 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,940 And for that, I love her. 32 00:01:34,940 --> 00:01:37,480 She's helped me find a sense of direction in my purpose 33 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,050 as a new member of the unit. 34 00:01:39,050 --> 00:01:40,850 I'm the youngest out of the rest of the dogs 35 00:01:40,850 --> 00:01:43,280 and it can get intimidating. 36 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:44,723 But as long as I rely on my training 37 00:01:44,723 --> 00:01:46,940 and focus on my duties, 38 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:48,580 things will be all right. 39 00:01:48,580 --> 00:01:52,360 We all strive to be great but when it comes down to it, 40 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,270 I'm probably happiest playing with this chew toy. 41 00:01:55,270 --> 00:01:57,770 It's the simple things in life that make me happy. 42 00:01:59,290 --> 00:02:03,030 I get to see how important my role is every day. 43 00:02:03,030 --> 00:02:05,550 It's that sense of pride knowing that at any time, 44 00:02:05,550 --> 00:02:08,550 I'm ready to respond to any security incident. 45 00:02:08,550 --> 00:02:10,010 Things are slow for the most part, 46 00:02:10,010 --> 00:02:12,060 but that's a good thing. 47 00:02:12,060 --> 00:02:13,490 I know if things get bad, 48 00:02:13,490 --> 00:02:15,780 the people I serve and protect can rely on me 49 00:02:15,780 --> 00:02:17,523 to do what I have to do. 50 00:02:18,550 --> 00:02:20,240 I'm a vigilant guardian of peace 51 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,160 but I won't hesitate for one second 52 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,935 when I have to protect those in need of me. 53 00:02:24,935 --> 00:02:27,435 (light music)