Please Welcome MWD Nikita #381

Please welcome retired Military Working Dog “Nikita” (Y493) to the Project K-9 Hero Pack as our 381st Program Member. MWD Nikita honorably served as a Dual-Purpose Patrol/Narcotics Detection Dog with the United States Navy, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, for eight years between 2016-2024.

During her outstanding career working with seven different individual handlers, Nikita answered hundreds of calls for service on patrol that resulted in multiple K-9 finds, performed countless Random Antiterrorism Measures (security procedures) at the main gates to the base, and was a favorite to be used for community events due to her extremely social personality.

Since ending her faithful service to our country in July of 2024, Nikita has been experiencing severe arthritis and chronic allergies that require daily medication, frequent veterinary visits, and weekly treatments that cost hundreds of dollars a month. At 11 1/2 years old, Nikita is also starting to show signs of early dementia that is growing increasingly worse.

Now that Nikita is retired, her medical care is no longer covered by the military or government, thus, causing an extreme financial hardship on her Handler, who has transitioned out of the U.S. Navy in Hawaii and into a civilian career on the mainland. We understand that the cost of veterinary care is expensive, especially for a veteran, who is also caring for her other Military Working Dog, who has been recently diagnosed with cancer.