Duchess the German Shepherd bounded up to her owner, Petty Officer Third Class Leland Hanna, as he returned home to North Carolina.
Now that’s a hero’s welcome!
Duchess the German Shepherd bounded up to her owner, Petty Officer Third Class Leland Hanna, as he returned from a seven-month deployment – and his wife, Samantha, was on hand to film the reunion.
The video shows three-year-old Duchess, who is wearing a red-white-and-blue scarf, jumping up to greet her owner as he tries to walk through the gate at the family’s home in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
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Mrs Hanna told INSIDE EDITION that she was not surprised by Duchess’ excitement.
“She’s a total daddy’s girl,” she said. “When my husband was deployed she would cuddle with a shirt of his.”
And her husband, who was deployed to multiple places while aboard the USS Iwo Jima, was just as overjoyed to be back with his family.
“My husband reacted so happily,” she said. “He was so happy to be off the ship.”
The pup wasn’t the only one ready to greet her dad. The couple’s identical twin daughters celebrated their first birthday while Hanna was deployed so the family enjoyed a delayed birthday party for the girls.
“That’s the life of the military,” his wife said. “We have been enjoying the time together since he got back.”
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She also surprised her husband with a new “man cave” in their home, which he’ll get to enjoy before he heads out for his next deployment.
“Luckily he won't be leaving for the rest of this year,” she said. “As for next year who knows.”
Whenever he leaves, he knows he’ll have a fan club waiting for his return.
The couple has had Duchess since she was seven weeks old. While her husband was away, Mrs Hanna also fostered another, smaller dog who can be seen in the video.
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