Soldier adopts former K-9 partner

RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) – A former military K-9 has a new forever home and it’s with the soldier he served with for a year in Afghanistan.

“Moto” is a trained bomb-sniffing dog. He’s been in a Virginia kennel for the last 17 months with 11 other military dogs who were supposed to be trained by a private contract company for another mission.

That training never happened.

So, Ethan Mordue and five other former handlers were finally given the opportunity to adopt the K-9s they served with.

“He was part of me for a year,” Mordue said. “It’s like having my other half back, you know? He pretty much shared a room, shared a bed with me. Everything”

The adoption was made possible in part by The United States War Dogs Association and Mission K-9 Rescue.

See more photos from Moto and Ethan’s reunion below: