FORT MEADE, Md. — After 8 years of dedicated service as a bomb detection dog, Nick received a hero's farewell at Fort Meade on Wednesday. The retirement ceremony drew dozens of military personnel who came to honor the working dog whose face has become familiar to thousands of government employees who see his photo when logging onto their computers daily.
Nick isn't just a symbol or mascot for the military – he's a working military dog who has spent nearly a decade protecting the base and its personnel. His retirement marks the end of an impressive career in explosive detection.
"Every single day thousands of people log onto their government computers and see his face, but they don't really know his story," said Captain Quezata.
Military dog Nick 'Doggles' retires after 8 years of bomb detection service at Fort Meade
The ceremony was particularly meaningful because so many people at the base had interacted with Nick throughout his service years. A room full of supporters gathered to see him off as he transitions from active duty to retirement.
Nick won't be going far from his military family. His handler, Justin Peyton, and his wife Lauren adopted him – a decision Peyton made three years ago when they first started working together.
"When I took Nick out that first time it was pretty much instantaneous he wanted to please to he was immediately ready to work which made certifying with him ten times easier," Peyton said.
As a bomb detection dog, Nick's work carried significant responsibility and risk. His job was to sniff for explosives, keeping the base and its personnel safe from potential threats.
"Nick is a bomb dog so he's sniffing for bombs so that's always in the back of your mind as a spouse like I hope it's a dull day at work today," Lauren Peyton said.
Now Nick can look forward to quieter days ahead. The Peytons have experience with retired working dogs – Nick is their second adopted military dog, so they understand the transition process.
"This is our second retired working dog that we have adopted so we kind of know how it goes and coming home and doing things slow so we have been there before and also you just want to give them a good retirement," Lauren Peyton said.
The transition should be smooth for Nick, who will now get to relax and spend time with his new family.
"So I think the transition is going to be pretty easy for him just to be able to relax and enjoy time with the family and watch some TV with me," Justin Peyton said.
Lauren Peyton expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support Nick received throughout his career and the care shown to all military working dogs at Fort Meade.
"Thank you for taking care of all of our military working dogs, thank you for supporting Nick and making sure that he was well taken care of and my husband as well and I hope that we can continue to do this for all of the dogs," she said.
While Nick may be retiring, his legacy continues – the photo of him on government sites might remain as a lasting tribute to his service.
"It's really nice to see how loved he is and always pretty much will be. It's a good feeling knowing that they support him," Lauren Peyton said.
Nick will spend his retirement with the Peyton family and their two children, living just a short distance from the base where he served with distinction for eight years.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
