Dog Names that Start with Ch

When Lance Corporal Matt Hatala was paired up with the IED detector dog Chaney, the Labrador Retriever had just been transferred from service in Iraq where he previously had worked with a different handler. He was the largest of the dogs at the South Carolina training facility at nearly 90 pounds and not in the mood to listen. He wasn’t mean or aggressive, but wouldn’t do a thing that Hatala told him to do and he used his considerable weight to drag the soldier all over the place. It took several weeks of training before they began to develop a mutual respect and trust towards one another, and months longer before their relationship was cemented and they were in sync.

In 2010, the pair were deployed to Afghanistan where they journeyed over 2,600 miles together on foot searching for unexploded bombs with several other Marines and Afghan National Army members. The dog had an irrepressibly good nature and often knew exactly which soldier needed cheering up the most and snuggling up next to them when they made camp for the night. Chaney also had an unswerving work ethic and methodical approach to his bomb-sniffing, he was very good at his job and likely saved many lives by finding explosive devices.

In 2011, they returned to the United States, Hatala to return to civilian life, and Chaney to be partnered with a new handler. While Chaney continued in his duties, Hatala had difficulty returning to what had once been normal. Work was not forthcoming and most positions felt meaningless after his military service. He felt cut off from his family and friends from home, and none of the marines that he had served with lived nearby. He became suicidal and eventually required weeks of treatment for both PTSD and alcohol abuse. He realized during this time just how much he missed Chaney’s loyalty and upbeat nature and he began the laborious process of adopting a military dog. It gave him purpose.

It was years of paperwork and waiting, but Hatala kept busy working with a charity in his hometown known as Retrieving Freedom, a group that trains service dogs for military veterans and autistic children. Chaney was returned to his friend and partner in 2013 when he retired from the military where he has gone on to help educate others about PTSD as well as to continue to encourage and give purpose to his partner and other veterans. Chaney was honored with the 2014 American Humane Society Hero Dog Award in the Military category and Matt Hatala, with the support of his buddy Chaney, enrolled as a firefighter and graduated as captain of his class.