A deaf dog who was surrendered as a puppy is now preparing to deploy with the Michigan National Guard.
Axel, a 3-year-old Dogo Argentino, who knows over 50 commands, including some in sign language, serves as the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment’s ministry dog — and has spent countless hours training for his upcoming deployment.
The committed canine works alongside soldiers on the field or in their Humvees — in his own uniform, a vestand collar made specifically for his ministry duties.
“When he sees those, he knows he is going to drill,” his handler, Sgt. Mollie Karazim said.
Axel, who was born deaf, was brought to a shelter after his original owners realized he couldn’t hear.
Karazim, a religious affairs specialist with the Michigan National Guard, adopted floppy-eared Axel as a puppy and immediately knew he would be the perfect pup to train as a ministry dog.
“Axel is loyal, loving and made for an active lifestyle, so I thought he would be a good fit for the infantry. When I first adopted him, I began training him but with the understanding that I would have to wait and see if he would integrate well with the unit when he grew up,” Karazim continued.
Karazim, whose role entails working with chaplains to support hundreds of soldiers from multiple companies, came up with a system of visual cues and hand signals to communicate with her four-legged companion.
“It (training a deaf dog) is very different from a dog who can hear,” she told the National Guard.
“He has to trust me, and we have built that trust from a puppy.”
She trained Axel for years before he became a battalion member.
“I would slowly bring him to unit events to see how he would respond,” Karazim said.
“He did great. My command team has been outstanding about having Axel in the unit and seeing the value of him.”
Although at first, the fur baby needed to prove to leadership he could commit to the job and be a good boy during drill weekends.
“Their question was, ‘What are you going to do? Will he be able to be in the field?’” Karazim said. “I said, ‘Yes, of course. What else?’”
Oftentimes, Karazim meets with soldiers during counseling and says Axel helps lighten the mood.
“Having Axel in the infantry has been a huge benefit,” Karazim said. “He is an icebreaker, and he has helped me connect with Soldiers I otherwise would not have connected with.”
Ironically, when Karazim first joined the National Guard, “I originally wanted to be a canine handler, but then I learned that was not a role available in Michigan,” she said.
“As I explored different options, religious affairs specialist seemed like the next best fit.”
She spent tireless hours training Axel for deployment, but said it was all worth it.
“This whole experience has been incredibly rewarding,” she said. “Axel has been a great asset to the ministry and has helped make everyone light up.”
The National Guard posted about Axel’s deployment on its Facebook and Instagram pages on Friday, and commenters cheered him on.
“Keep the troops in line Sarge!” one wrote, alongside the American flag emoji.
“Can we send care packages?” another asked
“God bless our Troops, including the furry ones,” someone else added.
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