Benji and Seiri

Cheers to our first active-duty adoption! Lieutenant Colonel Daniel and his wife Major Malia reached out to us when they were ready to add a big dog into the family. As well as wanting a companion themselves, their son Robbie is on the spectrum and they believed growing up with a dog would help him blossom. Plus, the dog would need to get along with the 2 family cats and keep bears out of the garage.

It was a bit of a tall order, but Black Ops was up to the challenge. We decided a Great Pyrenees might be the perfect fit--only to have one magically appear at one of our partner shelters Longmont Humane. At 10 months old and 75 lbs, her former owner had realized she was in over her head and surrendered her to the shelter. Because she had been crated much of the time, she had some initial issues with housetraining, but her foster parents got her on track. Thank you, foster parents!

Now named Ojo (Japanese for princess), this big girl is loving life with her new people. She loves all people and dogs that she meets. She enjoys exploring her mountain backyard, trying to play with her cat siblings, and snuggling with Robbie. Daniel and Malia report that walking Ojo has strengthened their bond with each other as well as Ojo. 

We are proud to honor Daniel and Malia's service by making this match.  

 Army veteran Richard met us at an VFW event and let us know that he was wanting a new buddy. He had a very specific type in mind: small dog but not "yappy", affectionate, good with other dogs and, most importantly, big pointy ears! 

Enter Piper. Piper came to us from our partners at The Good Dog Rescue after he had lost his home in New Mexico. Loving and playful, we knew they would be the right match. Although he was a little shy at first, Richard now reports that Piper loves his yard, sleeps in bed with him, and especially loves going RV camping. And as you can see, he more than satisfied the big pointy ears criteria! 

We wish Richard and Piper many happy and adventure-filled years together.  

After having toy poodles for years, Air Force veteran Joe was ready for a bigger dog. He and his wife Sue had wolf hybrids previously and, while they weren't up for something that big again, Joe wanted a medium-sized dog that was a bit beefier. His hope was for a low-shedding dog that could go fishing with him in the mountains and learn to run alongside his bike. His specific request was for a "scruffy" boy. 

Scruffy was transferred to Longmont Humane Society from an overcrowded rescue in New Mexico. His curly coat was matted and allergies had caused him to lick his feet until they were hot pink. Despite his discomfort, Scruffy patiently allowed our groomer to bathe him and shave off his mats giving him a fresh clean look for his fresh start in life. 

Thanks to Black Ops Rescue, Joe has the scruffy boy he had been dreaming of and Scruffy is living the high life, even sleeping in bed with his new pet parents. Joe says he "couldn't ask for a better dog" and that he "couldn't be happier with him." We wish Joe and Scruffy many years of happiness and adventures together. 

Sadly, Joe passed away in May of 2023. His widow Sue and Scruffy find comfort in each other and honor his memory. 

We have been remiss on updating y’all about Buddy, now known as Benny. As you may remember, Benny is the 11 year old pup that needed an echocardiogram. We got good news there—though he has a grade 3 heart murmur, he does not require medication at this time, just a healthy lifestyle. He will need an echocardiogram annually to monitor his condition. We also discovered that Benny is incontinent at night. Luckily he doesn’t mind wearing a diaper since he sleeps in his human’s bed! Sadly, Benny’s veteran adopter began having severe health problems requiring frequent hospitalization. He came to the conclusion that, though he desperately wanted to have a dog in his life again, it wasn’t possible and would be unfair to a dog. We understood and agreed.  So, what happened to Benny? Benny had been in foster care with Craig Hildebrand, Black Ops’ Veteran Relations Coordinator and an Army veteran himself. When Craig unexpectedly lost his own 2 beloved dogs in rapid succession to cancer and kidney failure, Benny was there. And now Craig needed Benny as much as Benny needed Craig. So we made it official. Benny is now Craig’s dog and he is home forever.

Shadow is home ❤.

When Shadow's veteran could no longer care for her due to health issues, she came back to Black Ops Rescue. We make a lifetime commitment to each of our clients, whether they have 2 legs or 4 legs. After several weeks in foster care with us, Shadow's new veteran found her on our Facebook page.  Reading her story, he realized that by adopting her, he could not only give a dog a loving home but help bring peace of mind to another veteran. The ways veterans show up for each other is both admirable and touching.

When David saw Shadow's post, he knew immediately that she was destined to become part of his family. David is a Vietnam era Navy veteran who was looking for a new buddy. He has had many shelter and rescue dogs over the years and was undeterred by Shadow's shyness. Within a couple of hours of coming home, Shadow was exploring her new digs and even slept in the bed on the first night! Now several weeks in, we are happy to report that Shadow has blossomed under his care into a much more confident pup. David shared, "She took over! Seems like we've had her forever." She enjoys watching the world from her window seat, snuggling with David, and keeping her new yard free of squirrels. She's become a little "ball of fire", zooming around the house and yard and demanding pets with her tiny shovel nose. Her favorite time is breakfast when she gets to share a couple of Cheerios with her new dad. Best of all, she's brought new light and life to her veteran's life, alleviating his low moods with her antics and affection. 

It truly does take a village to make these matches. From our supporters who shared Shadow's story on social media, to her foster parents that loved and worked with her during her transition, to our donors who make our mission possible, we are grateful for each and every one of you. 

Sadly, David passed away in November of 2021. His widow Lola and Shadow find comfort in each other and honor his memory. 

Josh is a former Tennessee National Guardsman that came to us looking for a companion that would be a good fit for his young family and help him feel more comfortable in public. He was wanting a pup that would get along well with his 3 year old twins and be a loyal and protective family member.

Gimli came to us via our partners at Longmont Humane Society after having been rescued out of New Mexico. Only about a year old, Gimli was most likely hit by a car at some point as he has a healed leg and pelvic fracture that have led to some muscle atrophy in his back leg.

When Josh and Gimli met, it was love at first site as you can see from the photo! Josh reports that Gimli is adjusting very well and bonding nicely with the entire family. He also seems to love having a soft bed to sleep in. Josh says, "I wish I had the words to explain how happy it makes me that there are decent human beings left in the world, and that I can help him get his strength back and bond with him!"

Bo wanted a smaller pup that could be a hiking buddy and wouldn’t intimidate the family cats. He also wanted his young son to grow up with a pup. Through our partnership with The Good Dog Rescue, we found Tango, a 3 month old puppy and the perfect fit for Bo’s needs. 

Tango’s pregnant mother was pulled by The Good Dog Rescue from an under-resourced shelter in Roswell, NM. She gave birth to her pups here in Colorado so Tango is officially a native. He is growing up exploring our beautiful Colorado mountains with his family. Tango even gets to go to work with Bo every day so they are always together. 

Tango has turned out to be quite the love bug. Bo tells us that he and one of the family cats are “basically married”. Their son calls Tango his “little brother”. And Bo’s wife, Rena, describes Bo’s relationship with Tango as “a love affair”. They can’t imagine life without him!

Air Force veteran, Melissa was already fostering Nala when she reached out to us for help finalizing her adoption. Nala is a Galgo, a hunting dog breed related to greyhounds that are often abused and neglected in their native Spain. Thanks to our partnership with Daphne Legacy Tour, this beautiful girl is now safe in her forever home and living the good life. She has a dog sibling, Duke, and 2 cat siblings that she gets along with very well. 

Melissa shares that Nala has brought a whole new level of goofiness to her household, describing her as a giant cat in a dog body. She spins and smiles when she’s excited and has recently discovered the joys of belly rubs, which she demands by “roaching”. 

Nala has been a calming force in Melissa’s life. She can’t wait to get home from work to hang out with her. “She makes my life better. Whatever happened in the world is better when I get home to her.”