This week I caught up with an old pal of mine, Finn. We’d met way, way back when, an he’d Woof-mailed to see if I’d like to get together to catch up. Boy, would I! For years now, Finn with his lifelong partner, Kag (a Navy SEAL veteran), have served in the SEAL Museum on A1A in Fort Pierce, greeting hundreds of grown-ups, stoodents an liddle kid visitors, answerin’ questions, explainin’ what SEALS do, an givin’ museum tours inside, which includes Cool Kibbles interactive X-zibitts, an outside, where there are uh-MAZin’, ackshull boats and helly-copters an planes. Finn is a hansome, charmin’ Belgian Malinois: sorta a compact version of a German Shepherd. He was born in Canada, at a Very Important place called Baden K-9, where for many years they’ve been breeding an training dogs to work in the military or for the puleece, all over the world. As a tiny pupper, Finn was assigned to the Navy an, when he was 5 months old, he met veteran SEAL Kag an they’ve been together ever since. Kag has been a SEAL for a looong time. Finn can’t BE an ackshull SEAL cuz only humans can do that: He’s an o-FISH-ell Navy K-9 Ambassador and, with Kag at the musewum, shares the hiss-tory of the Navy SEALS an, even buh-fore them, the Navy Frogmen. Huge Cool Kibbles, right? However, as he explained when we first met (not in a braggy way at all): “I’m what’s called a Multi-Purpose Canine, including bein’ a fully trained Warrior Dog: swimmin’, parachute jumpin’ (attached to an ackshull SEAL; infiltratin’, taking down bad guys, sniffin’ out explosives an IED’s. I’m also flu-unt in German.” So if the need ever uh-ROSE, fun or scary, Finn could DO it. When me an my assistant arrived at the Museum, Finn, Kag anna frenly lady, Lauren, were right there to greet us in the lobby. “Hey there, Bonz, great seein’ you both! It’s been a minute!” He gave my extremely excited assistant a few frenly nudges. “Fer sure!” I replied. “You look great!” “Thanks, Bonz. Back atcha. Yeah, we’re super busy here. Got a coupla Pawsome K-9 programs goin’ that keep us hoppin’. Makin’ a real difference. I’m pretty stoked!” In the lobby, liddle kids’d come up to Finn, who, on Kag’s signal, greeted them, posed for pickshurs an happily accepted their delighted laughter, an pats. He then led us into an office where he introduced us to a human called Yoda, the Operations Officer responsible for The K-9 Project, anna Canadian just like Finn. I opened my notebook. “I’m ready to learn about your projects!” Finn sat up straight an got a Very Serious look in his eyes. “Our Museum is partners with my birthplace, Baden K-9, in On-TERRY-O, where dogs gets special training in order to become Working Dogs, ready to be K-9 partners for human veterans who served as what’s called Elite Operators. A very important position. An not just cuz I AM one. The dog is VI-tal in helping the veteran go back into civilian life, which is Very Difficult. It’s hard to describe the power of the bond between human and dog,” he said, “if you haven’t felt it, like I do with Kag.” Finn pawsed for a minute, an I found myself wiping my eyes with my paw. I totally understood how strong that bond can be. I felt it with my Mom, an I still miss it. “By the end of the year,” Finn continued, “the Museum partnered with Baden will have donated 35 dogs to vets. An not jus any dog to any vet. It has to be the right dog with the right vet. Diff-rent temper-mutts, diff-rent issues. An the K-9 Project always checks in to see how the partners are doing an to help if needed. I mean, it’s Totally NOT just ‘Hello, vet. Here’s a dog. Good bye.’ “Another project we support,” Finn continued, “is called Trident House, which I buh-leeve is up by you, right along that very pretty liddle river in Suh-BASS-chun. It’s a quiet an TRAN-quill place where families of SEALS lost in the line of duty, or SEALS who were injured in battle an their families can stay for a while, an it’s what humans call Com-pluh-MEN-tary.” “So, Finn, I don’t know how you find time but, what do you do when you’re off work? Probly just fall over inna pile, right?” “Pretty much,” he laughed. “I do grabba nap or two. Maybe hang out in the pool. Take regular civilian walks. I also have civilian pooch chums. I get along with pretty much all fellow pooches. I make frens all over the place. Kag calls me a Well-Traveled Pup. “Woof! That is SOO-O Crispy Biscuits. I guess you probly fly, right? Where’ve you been?” “Yeah, me an Kag fly a lot! Lemme think, umm, Chi-CAW-go, New HAM-shire, Key West (talk about a Cool Kibbles place. The pooches down there are WAAY Chill. I felt like a celebrity down there), then there’s Cinn-sun-ATTI, TEX-us, Pebble Beach, calee-FORN-yuh, anna buncha other places. Kag says I led a rockstar life and I guess maybe I do. But it’s for a good cause, ya know? Makin’ people aware of what us pooches do to help vets so we can do even more.” After the innerview, Finn an Kag walked us out. By that time there were crowds of people inside an outside an I could see why. It was one of the Cool Kibblest places I’d ever visited. “I wanna show you this before you go,” Finn said, an led us down a curving walkway to an amazin’ statue of a Very Fero-shus, Very Focused “U.S. Navy Seal Combat Assault Dog” wearin’ a big vest an leapin’ across waves. There was also a plack with the names of other combat dogs, which somehow made me extra thankful for my Gramma an Grampa an my speshull easy chair an my evening dish of yoghurt.