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Tess took a break from chewing on the large red ball she was focused on, to sniff around a new bag set on the floor.

Not sensing anything out of the ordinary, the 11-year-old Belgian Malinois curled up on a dog bed as she refocused her energy on the toy.

“She’s only been retired for two days now,” Tess’ new owner, Joe Steenbeke, said. “Of course she’s going to think she’s still working. Just like veterans that have to transition into civilian life. If you can call it that for her.”

It had been less than 24 hours since the recently retired military dog had set foot inside her new home in Culver. She had already made herself at home, found a new favorite toy and acknowledged, then promptly ignored, Onyx, the black cat who lay lazily in a chair a few feet away.

“She’s all about having toys,” Steenbeke said, smiling down at the dog he had spent years trying to reunite with.

A U.S. Army veteran, Steenbeke served nearly a year in Afghanistan as a Tactical Explosive Detective Dog (TEDD) handler. Every minute of that deployment, Tess was at his side, sniffing out bombs and serving as emotional support for her handler.

When he was returning home from deployment, in February of 2013, Steenbeke was given only minutes to say goodbye to his partner. Tess went on to serve with the Connecticut National Guard until her retirement last week.

After years of wondering, copious amounts of paperwork and help from family, friends, nonprofits and U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski’s office, Steenbeke was able to reunite with his old friend and take her home.