RIP: Febe the dog, 'an American hero' who served in Iraq

Though he was responsible for handling several military working dogs during his time in the U.S. Air Force, retired Tech Sgt. Tommy Hollis always considered Febe to be his favorite.

The lovable, black German Shepherd accompanied Hollis to Iraq, where they spent six months together before returning home safely.

While it wasn’t possible for Hollis and Febe to retire at the same time, Hollis made sure he was first in line to adopt the dog when Febe retired from service a year after him in 2015.

And finally, on Tuesday morning, Hollis was there to escort his friend to Barksdale Air Force Base to say one last goodbye.

Febe, an 11-year-old military working dog who served the U.S. Air Force for 10 years, was honored Tuesday at Barksdale before being euthanized due to aggressive cancer of the bladder and pancreas, two years after Hollis brought him home post-retirement.

“I do really think he’s an American hero,” Hollis said. “He spent 90 percent of his life in the military.”

Military working dogs are specially trained for security and safety services, used to search for drugs, provide perimeter and vehicle sweeps, conduct random vehicle searches and to assist with bomb threats off base.

MWDs typically retire between the ages of 8 and 10, at which point the dog’s handler has the right of first refusal to adopt the dog.

Febe was born in Germany and brought to the U.S. in 2005 to be trained at Lackland Air Force Base, Hollis said. From there, Febe came to Barksdale Air Force Base.

Hollis handled multiple working dogs during his time in the military, but he knew that Febe was the dog he wanted to adopt whenever he became available.

“He’s very powerful, but he did not like to bite, even though he was bite certified,” Hollis said. “He whined when he would bite (in training). But his nose, he could find explosives with his nose.”

Febe’s personality stuck out to Hollis because of how loving he was. His job was to be tough, but at heart Febe was a softy.

“He wanted to be loved on, he wanted to be petted," Hollis said. "That’s just him."

The two went to Baghdad, Iraq, together in October 2008, returning in April 2009. Hollis said the greatest moment in his journey with Febe was when they both returned home uninjured.

“We survived, and we spent almost seven months over there, and we made it out,” Hollis said. “That was a big moment.”

Febe also worked high-security details with the Secret Service for the president of the United States, as well as for various heads of state.

Febe’s last handler, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephen Lammers, also praised the work of the “fun, energetic” German Shepherd.

“He had probably the best nose in the kennel when it came to detection — a phenomenal nose," Lammers said. “He's what you would call a push-button dog. In our career field we have dogs that are hard and really energetic.

“A push-button dog is a dog you give to a new handler so you don't have to teach them much, because the dog already knows it all,” Lammers said.

After retirement, Febe served as grand marshal for the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux parade in 2016.

Hollis’s family noticed only in recent weeks that something was wrong with Febe. He had stopped eating and started having trouble going to the bathroom.

“I took him to the vet and they took an X-ray, and they said his bladder was enlarged,” Hollis said. “They couldn’t really tell what it was until they did the ultrasound. So it’s all just kind of hit home.”

Much of Febe’s last days were spent sitting with Hollis outside in the yard, his favorite place, as well as enjoying feasts of hamburger and steak.

Tuesday morning, Febe's last ride was escorted by 2nd Security Forces Squadron personnel and Louisiana State Police. He was brought to the base veterinarian, where he was euthanized.

JROTC Honor Guard provided honors, and Febe was then placed in a casket to be driven with a police escort to Heavenly Acres for cremation.

Hollis’s family will receive Febe’s ashes to take home with them.

“I’m going to miss most his goofy smile,” Hollis said. “As soon as I grabbed that leash, he was ready to go. It looked like he always had a smile on his face, and I’m really going to miss that.”