Arrow catches rhino poachers

I get all choked up just thinking about Arrow and how his courage and giant heart protects the African wildlife we love. This skydiving record holder is a member of the VETPAW counter poaching operation.

WHAT'S VETPAW? Just the best group ever....

The goal of Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife is to help end the African poaching crisis and conserve endangered species. We do this by utilizing the unrivaled skills and experience of post-9/11 U.S. veterans to train park rangers and support their communities.

And what really gets me is what Henry, Arrow’s K9 handler and coordinator for VETPAW’S counter poaching operation says about Arrow's character.

"He is one of a very few Patrol dogs that can bite and be calm and friendly right after the bite. This makes him very special and allows us to interact with children of all ages, including adult children and teach them about conservation and how man's best friend is the most successful tool in the fight against poaching.

Arrow comes from DDR GSD Bloodlines. I imported his grandfather from Czech. So I have bred his bloodlines very successfully and have a 100% success rate with all litters being working dogs. In Arrow's litter, two pups stood out from the start and they were named Arrow and Alpha, Alpha being the bigger stronger dog. I decided to take Arrow as he had something special in his personality and he chose me rather than I chose him. He was an extremely energetic puppy and was bouncing of the walls, literally! He absolutely destroyed my house and vehicles and anything he could, but that is exactly what I expect of a working puppy with a very high drive.

Arrow showed from the start that he is exceptional and he would do anything to please me, which made it extremely easy to train him. He was trained as an Anti Poaching dog trained in Tracking, Explosive Detection and Bitework. He loved flying in helicopters and I started rappelling with him out of choppers. He absolutely LOVED hanging between my legs while standing on the skids of the chopper while flying and that made me decide to do skydiving with him.

In September 2016 during the AAD (Africa Aerospace and Defense) show at the Waterkloof Airforce base in Pretoria South Africa, we did our first jump out of a chopper and received a Guiness World Record for it.

Arrow is like my child and we have an extremely special bond, he trusts me with his life and I trust him with my life every day! Arrow makes sure that we go home alive by using his training to warn me of any danger, in all situations, making him the most valuable member in our team.

He loves to cuddle with me on the bed and his vehicle is HIS! No strangers allowed close to the vehicle when he is in it!

HE will give his life for those he loves!

Arrow has helped catch rhino poachers and farm attackers, making the world a bit safer for all, animals and humans alike!"

Thank you Henry for sharing your brilliant Arrow with us.

Please support VETPAW and watch the documentary series about VETPAW - BLOOD IVORY on Animal Planet.