Nick, a U.S. Army military working dog, is pictured at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, in May 2020. Affectionately known as Doggles, Nick has become the face of the Department of Defense Global Directory. (Derek Mustard/U.S. Army)
The friendly faced military working dog that greets users on the login page for the Department of Defense Global Directory will officially become a veteran this week.
Nick — known affectionately as Doggles because of his distinctive protective goggles — is scheduled to retire Wednesday at Fort Meade, Md.
The 1 p.m. ceremony at Club Meade is open to anyone with base access, according to an announcement posted Jan. 16 on U.S. Army Garrison Fort Meade’s Facebook page.
The 9-year-old German shepherd — about 61 in dog years — spent his career with the Military Working Dog Detachment of the 2nd Military Police, according to Army.mil. Trained to detect explosives, he worked alongside explosive ordnance disposal technicians.
Nick will be adopted by his handler, Staff Sgt. Justin Peyton, according to a video posted Jan. 16 on the garrison’s Facebook page.
Nick became widely recognized within the military community after a close-cropped photo of him wearing goggles appeared as the background image on the login screen of the DOD Global Directory. Service members use the directory as a single sign-on source for secure networks and to look up other DOD personnel.
Spc. Derek Mustard took the photo in 2020 during Nick’s nine-month deployment to al Asad Air Base in Iraq.
Global Directory users have shared well wishes for the retiring canine on Reddit.
“That goggled face is literally the best morale boost I have had on some days,” wrote nihilist117. “I hope he has a good retirement and all the pettings he wants.”
This screenshot shows Military Working Dog Nick, also known as Doggles, on the login page for the Department of Defense Global Directory. (Department of Defense)
Nick is not particularly motivated by treats but “will do anything for pets,” Peyton said in an Army video posted Sept. 9 to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
As of Tuesday, 69 people had indicated they planned to attend Nick’s retirement ceremony, and another 161 had expressed interest, according to a Fort Meade Facebook event page. The garrison said the ceremony will also be livestreamed on its Facebook page.
