Canine reports for duty at Kane'ohe base

Marine Staff Sgt. Karlo Salgado gets to know Finn at the Kane'ohe base. Lance Cpl. Zachary Kemp and Cpl. Masato Takaki, standing, also enjoyed the dog's company.
Photos by JEFF WIDENER The Honolulu Advertiser

Canine reports for duty at Kane'ohe base
Service dog lifting spirits of Marines recovering at Wounded Warrior barracks
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Writer

KANE'OHE — Marine Corps Base Hawaii's latest recruit breaks the mold with his laid-back attitude and nonregulation hairstyle. But he's highly trained and devoted to his unit.

Pressed into service about a month ago, Finn, a yellow Labrador retriever, is stationed at the Wounded Warrior Battalion at the Kane'ohe base. His duty is simple — bring joy to the people around him — but his ability to carry it out took two years of rigorous training that's expected of any Marine.

A highly trained service dog, Finn spends his days in a comfortable air conditioned lounge filled with brown leather sofas, computers, a television and game table. The people there are recuperating and Finn brings a touch of home and a sense of calm to a sometimes alien or depressing situation.

read more here
Canine reports for duty at Kaneohe base