The dog was first noticed a few weeks ago at the farthest Ukrainian-held point of the Arabat Spit, where border guards serve. The Russian military post is 600 meters from it. Our soldiers say it is likely that Jack ran away from that very post. The Ukrainian post proved to be true home for him. They fed him, warmed the dog up, and let him stay as an assistant.
“From time to time, Russians change the guard. It was after one of these changes that I saw a dog running about near our post. We saw him on the other side before. I do not know why he fled, but when I brought him to us, he was very skinny and scared. He could not overcome it for a long time, was afraid of something,” junior inspector of the Border Guard Service Mykola Horpynenko told us. “We decided to leave him here, because it is clear that this dog is clever and kind. Since he started to respond to Jack, we decided to call him this name. In general, I have a soft spot for German shepherds. I have a dog exactly like Jack at home, both in height and color. Now we have such a friend where we serve as well.”
Over time, the guards noticed that Jack dutifully responded to simple commands. They decided he was a service dog and requested that their unit’s dog handler come from Henichesk. He confirmed that the dog had some skills, but had forgotten a little bit, so they had to work with him.
“When I saw how Jack responds to commands and moves about, I realized that he had dog trainers working with him for some time before. But someone abused him, possibly by beating or underfeeding the dog,” dog handler Ensign Vasyl Tokioi said. “We then conducted several tests with planted weapons, he responded by trying to look for them. Jack is now registered with the Border Guard Service. We will train him and improve his weapon-detecting skills.”
