John and the Lumbering “Honza Bear”
“Why me,” thought Specialist John Nolan as he looked around at the other 11 students in his specialized search dog (SSD) class at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The other guys were looking at one another, smiling, laughing and joking. But John stared at the ground. He wished he could share their enthusiasm.
Everyone else was receiving two dogs and would get to choose their K9 partner but not him. He was getting the mine detector dog washout. He bit his bottom lip and shook his head.
“We’ve tried him before with four other SSD students and he never works out,” his instructors informed him.
This is not what the three-year-and-one-combat-deployment Army veteran had expected when he volunteered for K9 School. He felt like the instructors were setting him up for failure. He looked from side to side at the other dogs as he raked his finger over the cages while he walked through the kennels. They were all barking excitingly and twirling around in their kennels like tops. Why couldn’t he have one of the other guys “good” dogs to go with his washout, wondered John as he shuffled his feet down the kennel walkway.
“That’s him right there, Nolan. The big goofy labrador is yours.”
John sighed heavily and turned to face his new partner, the partner that he would be relying on to find improvised explosives before they found him.
He turned, with his hands on his hips and stared at the unimpressive yellow dog who barely acknowledged his presence. John looked up at his name plate above his kennel. It read “Honza, 4YO, male.” He looked down at Honza who was sprawled out on the ground at the rear of his kennel.
Honza let out a yawn, looked up at him and seemed to be saying, “I’ve been through this before with other handlers. I sabotaged them and I’ll do the same to you. Let’s get this over with so I can lounge around.”
John’s shoulders tensed as he reached for the kennel door and opened it. Honza got to his feet. John took a step forward into the cage, closing the gate behind him, and was quickly pushed backwards landing on his rear end with Honza on top off him. Honza’a massive front paws were on his chest and his wet slimy pink tongue was lathering John’s face with saliva. The 80-pound dog pushed him into the metal chain link fence and John struggled to regain his composure as bellowed deep belly laughs.
His family dogs—Ralph, a beagle, and Rosie, his Jack Russell terrier—never had the bulk to take him down like this when he was growing up. He’d been caught off guard by the lab.
John wrapped his arms around the dog, squeezing him and pulling him against his body tightly. He could feel the dog’s heart pounding and Honza groaned with delight as he tried to lick John’s face some more. It came back to John that he hadn’t had a dog since he joined the Army. He desperately missed the companionship and comfort his family dogs always provided.
“Don’t worry, this dog is only temporary, Nolan. We’ll get you a good dog,” a passing instructor said.
John looked up at the instructor and wondered what was wrong with Honza? He seemed like a good dog. He pushed his head against the short yellow fur on the dog’s head and peered into his brown eyes with a hint of a rust color to them. Honza’s tail hadn’t stopped wagging since John had entered the cage and it was now whacking the man’s leg and felt like he was being hit lightly by a leather belt.
“What is your problem, pal?”
Two days later he found out exactly what was wrong when they ran their first search drill. Honza took three times the amount of time to complete the exercise as the other dogs had. He was slow, lethargic, appearing to be out for a Sunday stroll rather than finding explosives. Honza had no sense of urgency. 
John watched him curiously and thought that he looked like an unwieldy bear, poking around for snacks at a campsite. Paw this and paw that. He would sniff here and there, stroll to the left or right and sniff again, look at a passing butterfly and then take a few more steps with his nose down. His long yellow tail was wagging from side to side as if it were a windshield wiper on a rainy day. He was Honza the Bear!
“Don’t worry, Nolan. He’ll be your backup dog. We are giving you another dog tomorrow,” his instructor informed him.
John looked up at the staff sergeant instructor and wanted to ask, “What if I don’t want another dog? What if I want Honza Bear to be my dog?” But he kept his mouth shut.
John had made a cardinal mistake at dog school. He had fallen in love instantly with the big goofy knucklehead lab. He couldn’t help it. Honza reminded him of his beagle Ralph, just larger.
Will John get to keep Honza as his dog?
What happens when John is given additional dogs to work with?
Can Honza finally be turned into an effective working dog?
Click here for the next exciting chapter in this story!
Click here to subscribe and receive my weekly blog posts directly to your email. You don’t want to miss a thing!
29 comments on “John and the Lumbering “Honza Bear””
Leave a Reply
Patti Mallett says: Aw, come on. I was hurrying to the end, and now you’re gonna make me wait…. I’ve grown attached to Honza Bear already!
Blessings upon your day!
-
Kevin Hanrahan says:
Sorry Pattie! LOL. Your right though….def not hard to get attached to Honza Bear!
-
I promise there is more to come!
Lillias says: Totally agree with Patti! LOL left me on a cliffhanger there Kevin! 
-
Don’t worry….The Bear will make a return appearance. Just hide your picnic basket!
-
Thanks Barbara….. I always fret about post length and where to cut each one.
-
I love that AJ…just not the jumping part! My dogs are pretty good but when they get excited watch out!
I’m so excited for you! I know you’re expecting your first baby very soon, and books are “children of the mind.” I see you’re very close to being ready for submission with your book. I do hope you’ll keep us posted. (personal experience: it’s a roller coaster ride. You’ll experience some highs, and lows. Keeping true to your course, perseverance, and dogged determination are KEY. But, you’re military. You already have the focus and drive.)
-
Thanks so much Barbara…..I love the dogged determination reference! You are so right though….. I won’t give up. I have a message to spread and nothing will stop me.
Great Kevin, you got me hooked just like a novel I can’t put down. Come on Honza get trained you can do this, you got this, Honza. Capitvating writing with a great hook for a good cause. I wonder what it would be like if I wrote in the mind of the wild animals at the zoo I volunteer at, that would be interesting:). I am in the boat for Honza to be trained. In hard work there is preserverance. May the animal be trainable and the soldier obtain his goal. You move, Go Honza!!
Adrian Johnson
-
Thanks so much Adriana. I think Honza is a really cool pooch…he is stationed with me here in Virginia and I will tell you he really is a big knucklehead!
I wonder if that animal thing has been done? If not I think it is a cool idea.
[...] John and the Lumbering “Honza Bear” [...]
Kasey says: When ?
-
Do you mean when is the next iteration of Honza, Kasey?
Soccer girl 1112 says: When part 2 coming out I’m hooked honza is the cutest lab I’ve ever seen
-
I agree…he is the neatest dog. If you love labs check out the story on Gabe….he is one cool pup as well.
Second part…… Not sure when it will be published. I have a couple ahead in the que. Soon though! I gotta post an update on Gabe and Anax first though. You gotta check those two heroes out!
I assume you’ve heard of the recently released book “Soldier Dogs”. I saw the author on the Daily Show describing how amazing the dogs and trainers are. Good stuff.
-
I sure did! I wrote about and interviewed Maria last week. Here is the link: http://khanrahan.com/2012/04/30/soldier-dog-comes-marching-in/
[...] may wish to read Part I, John and the Lumbering “Honza Bear”, of this series first before reading Part II [...]
Mary Watts says: I was hooked from the beginning of tge story. You have the amazing capacity to write in a way that makes me feel as if I can actually see Honza and John, and i can’t wait to read the next installment. Thank you 
-
Thanks so much Mary. I should have the next piece out pretty soon!
[...] is part VII of this story. You may wish to skip back to Part I to start reading this dramatic story from the [...]
Oh you have me hooked, from the very moment I saw Hanza and then your writing, just draws you in, great job. As a human owned by one yellow lab (mix + White Shepherd) that is at least 99% Yellow Lab might I add, I can so relate. Your cutting off point is spot on, you make us want to hurry and turn the next page. I was first introduced to dogs in the military as a kid, when we lived in Guam (Dad AF 72-77) and the MP that patrolled our streets also had a dog by his side. Mama always sat outside at night and the MP would always come by and talk to Mama, of course us kids would run outside to see the dog ( I can not remember his name, sorry) and he would have the dog do tricks for us, just the most amazing sight to me, I have been in love with dogs ever since. Very nice blog, I look forward to reading more, thank you for sharing.:)
I hope and pray John gets to keep Honza! falling in love with a dog is uncontrollable just like falling for another human being..The heart always rules
[...] VI of John and Honza Bear. If you haven’t already…..you may wish to read Part V or skip back to Part I prior to reading this [...]
[...] dog category for Honza “Bear.” I fell in love with Honza and his story the first time I read about him on Kevin Hanrahan’s blog which was long before the Labrador was up for this [...]
Leave a Reply
My Tweets
Aw, come on. I was hurrying to the end, and now you’re gonna make me wait…. I’ve grown attached to Honza Bear already!
Blessings upon your day!
Sorry Pattie! LOL. Your right though….def not hard to get attached to Honza Bear!
You’ve hooked me… I demand more, MORE you hear!
I promise there is more to come!
Totally agree with Patti! LOL left me on a cliffhanger there Kevin!
Don’t worry….The Bear will make a return appearance. Just hide your picnic basket!
Love it. You’re an expert at hooking your readers. :0)
Thanks Barbara….. I always fret about post length and where to cut each one.
How can you not love a dog who gives you lots of kisses?
aj
I love that AJ…just not the jumping part! My dogs are pretty good but when they get excited watch out!
I’m so excited for you! I know you’re expecting your first baby very soon, and books are “children of the mind.” I see you’re very close to being ready for submission with your book. I do hope you’ll keep us posted. (personal experience: it’s a roller coaster ride. You’ll experience some highs, and lows. Keeping true to your course, perseverance, and dogged determination are KEY. But, you’re military. You already have the focus and drive.)
Thanks so much Barbara…..I love the dogged determination reference! You are so right though….. I won’t give up. I have a message to spread and nothing will stop me.
Great Kevin, you got me hooked just like a novel I can’t put down. Come on Honza get trained you can do this, you got this, Honza. Capitvating writing with a great hook for a good cause. I wonder what it would be like if I wrote in the mind of the wild animals at the zoo I volunteer at, that would be interesting:). I am in the boat for Honza to be trained. In hard work there is preserverance. May the animal be trainable and the soldier obtain his goal. You move, Go Honza!!
Adrian Johnson
Thanks so much Adriana. I think Honza is a really cool pooch…he is stationed with me here in Virginia and I will tell you he really is a big knucklehead!
I wonder if that animal thing has been done? If not I think it is a cool idea.
Pingback: yankeemom.com » Blog Archive
When ?
Do you mean when is the next iteration of Honza, Kasey?
When part 2 coming out I’m hooked honza is the cutest lab I’ve ever seen
I agree…he is the neatest dog. If you love labs check out the story on Gabe….he is one cool pup as well.
Second part…… Not sure when it will be published. I have a couple ahead in the que. Soon though! I gotta post an update on Gabe and Anax first though. You gotta check those two heroes out!
I assume you’ve heard of the recently released book “Soldier Dogs”. I saw the author on the Daily Show describing how amazing the dogs and trainers are. Good stuff.
I sure did! I wrote about and interviewed Maria last week. Here is the link: http://khanrahan.com/2012/04/30/soldier-dog-comes-marching-in/
Pingback: Honza Bear Roars and Then Sputters | | Kevin HanrahanKevin Hanrahan
I was hooked from the beginning of tge story. You have the amazing capacity to write in a way that makes me feel as if I can actually see Honza and John, and i can’t wait to read the next installment. Thank you
Thanks so much Mary. I should have the next piece out pretty soon!
Pingback: Marc and Anax: Will Dark Pass Their 2nd Certification? | Kevin Hanrahan
Oh you have me hooked, from the very moment I saw Hanza and then your writing, just draws you in, great job. As a human owned by one yellow lab (mix + White Shepherd) that is at least 99% Yellow Lab might I add, I can so relate. Your cutting off point is spot on, you make us want to hurry and turn the next page. I was first introduced to dogs in the military as a kid, when we lived in Guam (Dad AF 72-77) and the MP that patrolled our streets also had a dog by his side. Mama always sat outside at night and the MP would always come by and talk to Mama, of course us kids would run outside to see the dog ( I can not remember his name, sorry) and he would have the dog do tricks for us, just the most amazing sight to me, I have been in love with dogs ever since. Very nice blog, I look forward to reading more, thank you for sharing.:)
I hope and pray John gets to keep Honza! falling in love with a dog is uncontrollable just like falling for another human being..The heart always rules
Pingback: John and Honza "The Snow" Bear | Kevin Hanrahan
Pingback: Honza Bear Is Asking for Your Vote to Become a “Hero Dog” | Off The Base