so when kyle s leave was up and chickel was set to retire, he was desperate to bring him home as a family dog. i talked to my kennel master here about, you know, hey, i really want my dog that was over there. he s my best friend. and he told me about american humane. reporter: american humane, a national nonprofit that helps reunite retired military dogs with their former handlers. it would take eight long months before this special moment. chickel freckles! as soon as i said his name, he came rushing over, jumped all over me licking my face. hey, buddy. reporter: the two finally reunited in the u.s. hey, buddy. i missed you. i missed you so much. he was there for me. he was always right next to me. reporter: a man and his dog, part of a grateful and growing family. now that he s back home, i want him to know that i m extremely thankful for what he did for me. together at last. great to see. thanks so much for watching. i m whit johnson in new york. have a great night.
43 minutes past the hour. many members of the u.s. military glad to be home for the holidays. we ve been seeing the home cummings over the past several days. expect to see more this week. one of those very happy to be home, corporal jason neff from north carolina. he s recovering from a bomb blast he suffered in afghanistan over thanksgiving weekend. it s an injury that could have been far worse had it not been for his bomb-sniffing dog. here now with the story. reporter: a man and his dog. every time you go outside, outside the tent, he s right there. reporter: how to define the relationship when one saves the other. bingo, a bomb-sniffing dog, and lance corporal mason neff, his handler, were investigating a tip there was an ied at the intersection of a road and a canal. sensing the explosive, bingo moved just as neff stepped toward it. bingo set it off, taking his own life, saving his master s.