Local soldier reunited with dog

CEDAR RAPIDS - Finding a pet sitter for the weekend can be hard, but finding one for an entire year, is even harder. Yet it was something Specialist Kevin Urquidez had to do before being deployed to Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, Urquidez returned home and was reunited with his best friend, Hector - a half pit bull, half lab - and an important member of the family.

Urquidez said he'd never had a dog before, but always had a soft spot for big dogs. But soon after Hector was adopted, Urquidez was deployed.

“I wasn't on order or anything like that to go over seas, and then I found out after I adopted him, that I was going over seas.”

With no options he contacted animal rescue and they were able to find Hector a temporary home with Josh Holland and Dawn Holland-Svenson in Cedar Rapids. The soldier knew that it wouldn't be hard for someone to enjoy having Hector around.

“He's got character, and if I could ever pick a dog that suited me, it would be Hector, hands down,” Urquidez said.

Hector has been thousands of miles away from the soldier for the past seven months, but his face can still be found in Afghanistan, thanks to the Holland's.

“I've been corresponding with them through Facebook, email, and getting pictures of him," said Urquidez. "They gave me pictures of him and they are hanging all over my wall. We still sleep in tents, so hanging things is kind of an issue but I got a nice mural."

This isn't Urquidez's first deployment, and it might not even be his last, but the soldier said he has no second thoughts on adopting. “I'm averaging a deployment every two years now so I don't know why I decided to get a dog, but I'm glad I did,” Urquidez said.

Though Urquidez is home for just a short time on leave, he has big plans for the pair. “He's going to help me train for a PT test. That's my big goal. It's always better when you get to run with somebody. So Hector is my running partner,” Urquidez said.