Dog handler enjoys working with his K-9 counterpart Published May 22, 2013 By Senior Airman Tristin English 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Don't mistake Roy for a tail-wagging, ball-chasing doggie. He is a criminal-hunting, bone-breaking working dog with a combat stare earned by five trips to Afghanistan. Roy and his handler, Staff Sgt. Bryan Dell, 375th Security Forces Squadron, are one of eight teams working at the 375th SFS Military Working Dog section, providing a unique capability to Scott Air Force Base. Whether at home station or abroad, working dog handlers and their dogs are vital to mission success. Dell, a three-year working dog handler and trainer, said he helps keep the base safe from the dangers that can potentially be harmful to military and civilian members. "The best thing about being a working dog handler is that we get to work with dogs for a living," Dell said. "We take pride in training these dogs to do the missions we face and by protecting our fellow service members and their families both home and abroad." The dogs here are trained on various tasks depending on if they are a bomb dog or a drug dog. They are also trained to attack fleeing suspects. Handlers and their dogs train hard daily to keep the dogs at the top of their game. Roy, a nine-year-old Belgian Malinois, is trained for patrol explosive detection has been on five deployments and 35 secret service missions. Dell said he really enjoys training the dog on controlled aggression or as he likes to call it "biting the bad guy." "I find it enjoyable to watch a dog we have trained do what they do best," said Roy's handler. Tech. Sgt. Joshua Webster, 375th SFS kennel master, said Dell has a lot of drive and passion for working dogs. He noted that Roy's handler constantly strives to improve and advance his dog into learning different techniques in detecting narcotics and explosives, controlled aggression, building searches, gunfire and scouting. "Sergeant Dell is probably one of the most dedicated dog handlers I have met," said Webster, a 12-year veteran of military working dogs. "He has used many of the situations he personally went through to better prepare the teams for deployments and what they may encounter. I have always heard that junior NCOs are the backbone of the military, and I thought it was very cliché until I worked with Dell." In support of National Police Week, Dell volunteered as a decoy during a K-9 competition on base May 17. Dell said he loves his job working with dogs and couldn't imagine a different Air Force career. "To me there is nothing bad about being a dog handler, it is by far the best job in the Air Force," Dell said.