When U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Monica Rodriguez first met Stella the two were a K9 team based at the Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. Stella, a nine-year-old German Shepherd, was trained to detect narcotics.
While in Korea, Stella was all that SSgt. Rodriguez had to get her through the tough times. The two were separated for two and a half years when SSgt. Rodriguez had to leave Korea and Stella had orders to stay. But when she found out that Stella would be retiring, Rodriguez knew without a doubt that she had to bring Stella home.