From an explosives detection dog in South Korea to just a dog, Luna retires and joins Florida family

FORT WALTON BEACH — There's one thing for sure about retired military working dog Luna's life from now on: She'll never be lonely.

Thanks to Air Force Staff Sgt. Porschia Allio-Easom, a Security Forces airman at Hurlburt Field, Luna will spend her remaining years with a family that includes four other dogs, four cats, two fish and two turtles.

And that's not to mention Allio-Easom's wife, Shelby, and two children, 8-year-old Shaylee and 6-year-old Ruby.

Luna was formally introduced to the human members of her new family Tuesday outside the Eglin Federal Credit Union office on Eglin Parkway. The reunion and retirement ceremony was facilitated by the credit union, Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson, and not least, by American Humane, the nonprofit organization that covered costs and otherwise helped bring Luna from her last duty station to Allio-Easom.

Hayden Frye, a communications specialist with American Humane, was on hand to help celebrate what he called "a joyful and well-earned retirement" for Luna.

Coming out the doors of the credit union building, Luna moved quickly into the parking lot and went straight to snuggling up to Shaylee and Ruby. 

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Luna's time in South Korea as an explosives detection dog

Allio-Easom, who has been working with dogs for five of the nine years she's been in military police work, first met Luna, a 7-year-old Belgian malinois, a year ago in South Korea. Allio-Easom had been sent to Korea to help rehabilitate Luna, who had been working as an explosives detection dog, after she suffered a duty-related leg injury.

The injury to Luna's back right leg didn't heal properly — even today, when she sits, it's "almost like a kickstand," Allio-Easom laughed — and she was retired from military service.

As with all military working dogs that are retired, Luna was offered to former handlers, and there was no doubt that Allio-Easom, who formed a real bond with Luna during their time together in Korea, wanted her.

"From Day One, I was like, 'I love this dog'," Allio-Easom said as she sat down for an interview, with Luna bounding all around her.

Luna is big for a Belgian malinois, Allio-Easom said, and she has a personality to match.

"She's the goofiest, the sweetest dog," Allio-Easom smiled.

There are plenty of reasons to love Luna, she continued. Just one of the things that endeared her to Luna during their time in service was the way she reacted to finding hidden explosive devices, losing all sense of military decorum

"Her ears just flopped everywhere, and it was the goofiest thing," Allio-Easom smiled.

Allio-Easom, who has previously taken retired military working dogs into her home, said there is no reason to worry that the dogs — even those like Luna who have done attack work — pose any danger to the households that take them in.

She said It doesn't take long after retirement for the dogs to revert to being just dogs. And in Luna's case, "she hasn't done 'bite work' in a long time."

Unlike Luna, Allio-Easom is some years away from retirement, but that's OK with her.

"I've loved animals my whole life, and I like being a cop," she said, pronouncing herself lucky to have a job that allows her to combine those interests.

And as a military working dog handler, she said, "I always have somebody to talk to."

During brief remarks to the crowd gathered for the reunion and retirement ceremony, Jerry Williams, CEO of Eglin Federal Credit Union, started out wondering whether Luna was closer to being a military equipment asset or something more akin to a human asset.

Then, answering his own question, Williams said, "I'm thinking Luna is an extension of Staff Sgt. Allio-Easom. ... That's no piece of hardware. That's a piece of Staff Sgt. Allio-Easom."