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Every Pet Deserves A Good Home…

Honor and Friendship – Remembering on Veteran’s Day

Honor and Friendship Lg

November 11, 2013 Posted by | animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet and Animal Training, Service and Military Animals, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , | 1 Comment

IDF Dog Finds Arms In Terrorist Hideout AFter Soldiers Fail

החיילת והכלב. צוות לעניין 
JoshuaPundit – Cross-Posted at AskMarion  -  h/t to Rob Miller… and I have to agree… I like this one too!  JOMP~:

During a military operation conducted last Thursday morning, soldiers from the Givati Brigade raided Bita Al Fuka, a Palestinian village near Nablus after receiving intelligence on the whereabouts of a man suspected of terrorist activities.

They found him, searched the house and were ready to take him in for questioning and leave..but then one of the IDF’s dog soldiers, accompanied by his fellow soldier from the IDF’s Oketz (canine) unit refused to leave the premises, even when ordered to.

So his IDF handler gave him his head, he went right to the suspects mattress and signaled that there was something of interest within. When the soldiers cut open the mattress, they found the man’s arms and ammo…which may very well link him to several attacks.

If it wasn’t for one stubborn IDF dog, they wouldn’t have found them.
Yasser koach, kelev tov!

The IDF’s dog soldiers in the Oketz unit are a valued part of Israel’s defense forces. Just like their two-legged counterparts, they have their own personal serial numbers and files. And the file includes all the details a commander or Oketz handler might need to know about the dog – where it was born, when it joined the unit, what training it had completed, what operations it has participated in, the dog’s level of operational preparedness, a complete health and fitness profile, and accreditations and commendations the dog has earned.

Yes, the IDF’s dogs have the opportunity to complete advanced training (the norm is six months) and are recognized officially when they perform exceptionally.


Aside from missions like the one above, some are trained to be experts at finding victims of terrorism buried under rubble, as well as in the location of explosives.

July 8, 2013 Posted by | animal behavior, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Service and Military Animals, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Photos From the Frontlines–The Dogs of War

Emerald Warrior 2011

Thursday’s Awesome Photos From The Frontlines: The Dogs Of War – Pat Dollard

Mar 21, 2013 – Jake Hammer

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Afghanistan

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Airman's best wingman

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WAR DOG 2

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Protective "doggles"

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Operation Iraqi Freedom

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March 22, 2013 Posted by | Animal or Pet Related Stories, Animals Adopting Animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, NO KILL NATION, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , | 7 Comments

Sergeant Stubby

In honor of all our Veterans I thought this little bit of history was interesting to share..

stubby0.jpg
SGT. STUBBY WAR DOG HERO!

Meet America’s first war dog, a stray Pit Bull/Terrier mix, named Stubby. He became Sgt. Stubby, was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat.

One day he appeared at Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut; while a group of soldiers were training, stopping to make friends with soldiers as they drilled. One soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, developed a fondness for the dog. He named him Stubby because of his short legs. When it became time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on board the troop ship. In order to keep the dog, the private taught him to salute his commanding officers warming their hearts to him.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry, 26th Division in the trenches in France for 18 months and participated in four offensives and 18 battles. The loud noise of the bombs and gun fire did not bother him. He was never content to stay in the trenches but went out and found wounded soldiers.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt.
 Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

Stubby entered combat on February 5, 1918 at Chemin Des Dames, north of Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night for over a month. In April 1918, during a raid to take Schieprey, Stubby was wounded in the foreleg by the retreating Germans throwing hand grenades. He was sent to the rear for convalescence, and as he had done on the front was able to improve morale. When he recovered from his wounds, Stubby returned to the trenches.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

After being gassed and nearly dying himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, continued to locate wounded soldiers in no man’s land, and since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could, became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

He was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. The spy made the mistake of speaking German to him when they were alone. Stubby knew he was no ally and attacked him biting and holding on to him by the seat of his pants until his comrades could secure him.


Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

Following the retaking of Chateau-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the town made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals. There is also a legend that while in Paris with Corporal Conroy, Stubby saved a young girl from being hit by a car. At the end of the war, Conroy smuggled Stubby home.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

After returning home, Stubby became a celebrity and marched in, and normally led, many parades across the country. He met Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding. Starting in 1921, he attended Georgetown University Law Center with Conroy, and became the Georgetown Hoyas’ team mascot. He would be given the football at halftime and would nudge the ball around the field to the amusement of the fans.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                          
                                 War Dog Hero

Stubby was made a life member of the American Legion, the Red Cross, and the YMCA. In 1921, the Humane Education Society awarded him a special gold medal for service to his country. It was presented by General John Pershing.

Shangrala's                                                           Sgt. Stubby                                                           War Dog Hero

In 1926, Stubby died in Conroy’s arms. His remains are featured in The Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibit at the Smithsonian. Stubby was honored with a brick in the Walk of Honor at the United States World War I monument, Liberty Memorial, in Kansas City at a ceremony held on Armistice Day, November 11, 2006.


Tell Your Friends About This War Hero


Shangrala's Sgt. Stubby                                
             War Dog Hero

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EMS has introduced trained service dogs to help cut costs 😉

h/t to Gary Patterson

January 15, 2013 Posted by | animal behavior, Animal or Pet Related Stories, Animal Related Education, animals, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, NO KILL NATION, Service and Military Animals, Toughen Animal Abuse Laws and Sentences, We Are All God's Creatures, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

1st national monument for war dogs honors four-legged pup soldiers of World War II and beyond

dog_teams_momument.jpg

The Military Working Dog Teams National Monument (Dogs For Defense Save Lives)

Fox News:

LOS ANGELES – The act of Congress is in the books, the bills are paid, the sculptures are being cast, and one of the biggest parades in the world will start a glory tour and countdown to dedication.

The first national monument to pay tribute to military dogs will be unveiled in California in just two months. The U.S. Working Dog Teams National Monument will honor every dog that has served in combat since World War II.

Some cities, cemeteries and military bases across the country already have such memorials. But none has been elevated to national monument level, where it will be in the company of the Statue of Liberty, Yosemite National Park and Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

In 2000, John Burnam, a 65-year-old veteran military dog handler, wrote a book called "Dog Tags of Courage." A year later, he got an email from a reader wondering why there were no national monuments to the dogs of war.

In "Dog Tags" and a 2008 book, "A Soldier’s Best Friend," Burnam wrote about his time with the Army’s 44th Scout Dog Platoon when he was in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.

His first dog, Timber, was injured in an ambush a few months after they teamed up, so he spent most of his tour with a German shepherd named Clipper.

"He saved my life and saved the lives of others by alerting on ambushes, snipers and booby traps. I wanted to give something back to these animals that have done so much and asked for so little, except for food and water and the love of their handlers," said Burnam, who received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Back then, handlers were not able to adopt their dogs when they were retired.

"I always worried about them but I know they died over there and they died as heroes," he said.

In 2004, Burnam and two other dog handler veterans pursued the idea in earnest, forming the John Burnam Monument Foundation Inc. But it took two more years, until he met Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., that the monument project started to take shape.

In 2007, Jones introduced legislation authorizing establishment of the monument. Passed unanimously by Congress, it was signed the next year by President George W. Bush, then amended and signed by President Barack Obama.

Burnam designed the monument, which depicts the modern military handler and four dogs — a Doberman, German shepherd, Labrador retriever and Belgian Malinois, all breeds used in wars.

The silicon bronze handler stands more than 9 feet tall and weighs 1,500 pounds. Each dog is about 5 feet tall and weighs 550 pounds. Burnam called them "hero-sized."

The figures will stand on a pedestal, in front of a large granite wall. One side of the wall will have photos etched in black marble veneer showing dog teams in combat from the different wars. The other side will have an inscription written by Burnam.

The sculptor, Paula Slater, said it was the largest and most complex monument she had ever done. She worked for thousands of hours, saying that finishing a project of that size "is like giving birth to a baby — five of them."

The money for the monument came slowly. Burnam made one of many fundraising pitches on the reality TV show "Who Let the Dogs Out," featuring Tillman, the skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding bulldog. The president of Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc., the company that Tillman represents, attended the show taping and volunteered to pitch in more than $1 million.

"Don’t do a thing. Natural Balance and Petco (Animal Supplies Inc.) will take care of it," Joey Herrick said. To raise funds for the monument and its maintenance, Natural Balance created a jerky bark treat sold by Petco. Maddie’s Fund, a family-funded pet rescue foundation, also signed on as a corporate sponsor.

The public will get a sneak peak of the monument at the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena on Jan. 1, when a floral replica will be used as Natural Balance’s float. Burnam, dogs and handlers from every military service branch will ride on it.

When the float goes on display afterward at Victory Park, the real bronze monument will make its public debut next to it, Herrick said. Then the bronze monument will go on tour as it heads to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The location was chosen as the site for the monument because that’s where most of the nation’s military’s dogs are trained.

Meanwhile, Tillman, the dog that helped get Burnam the monument funding, is also getting personal recognition for his military service. For his work entertaining troops at bases and for going through a mini Marine boot camp, the athletic bulldog has been made an honorary private 1st class.

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November 12, 2012 Posted by | animal behavior, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Dogs, Dogs, Holidays With Pets, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, NO KILL NATION, Pet and Animal Training, Political Change, Service and Military Animals, Toughen Animal Abuse Laws and Sentences, We Are All God's Creatures, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Slain Marine’s service dog dies.. (Sad story.. Pictures of Lex and Lee)

Sad story.

According to AP..

Lex a bomb-sniffing military dog " that made national headlines when he was adopted by a fallen Marine’s family has died of cancer."

Back in 2007

" .. a rocket explosion in Iraq killed Cpl. Dustin Lee and injured his canine partner, Lex. The German shepherd, struck with shrapnel and whimpering from his own injuries, stayed by Lee’s side on the battlefield. Medics had to pull Lex away" from the body of Lee.

According to AP..

" Lee and Lex had worked closely together, scouring roads for explosives and sleeping together at night. When Lee died, his family spent months lobbying for permission to adopt the dog."

" A Marines spokesman said Lex died March 25th. He had been undergoing treatment at the Mississippi State University veterinary school.

In the final years of his life, Lex lived in Quitman, a small town in east Mississippi.

There, he provided a different kind of service: comfort.

See it – Link it:

ajc article  -  Originally Published Friday, April 20, 2012 9:08 PM by godogs  -  Attachment(s): lee4.jpg – cross-posted at Ken Malloy’s Blog  – h/t to MJ

April 21, 2012 Posted by | Adopt Just One More Pet, Animal or Pet Related Stories, Dogs, Dogs, Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Service and Military Animals, Unusual Stories, We Are All God's Creatures | , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Honoring military dogs on Veteran’s Day

Today is Veteran’s Day, when the country honors the service men and women who have given up so much to ensure our freedom. And right alongside those human warriors canine soldiers offer service, trained to protect the troops and keep them from harm.

On Nov. 7 a special ceremony was held on Capitol Hill with the American Humane Association, a Tribute to War Heroes on Both Ends of the Leash.

The reception was made possible by Virginia Congressman Jim Moran, the co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. Rep. Moran represents Virgina’s 8th district, which includes Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Reston and Falls Church.

Special guests at the ceremony included a man whose guide dog saved his life by leading him down 78 flights of stairs in the World Trade Center on 9/11, and two military working dogs who served in Iraq.

Watch Fox channel 5’s story: DC Tribute Honors Military Dogs.

Speaking of hero dogs, the Hallmark Channel is premiering the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST. Eight canine finalists will be honored for their devotion, bravery and companionship. The dogs were selected in a nationwide online search and represent categories of working dogs including service, therapy, military, law enforcement and arson, hearing, guide, and search and rescue.

Dogs aren’t just helping our military during combat tours, either. Organizations such as Pets2Vets, based here in Arlington, are rescuing shelter dogs and training them to help veterans cope with combat duty-related issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Read about P2V founder Dave Sharpe in a Two Dog Tales blog post from last year.

Our human and canine military protectors deserve to be honored every single minute of every day for all they do for us. Make sure to thank a vet today.

Source:  The Examiner

Canine Military Hero

Read: (and See Below) the Great Story of Nubs the Dog and His Marine

Video: Nubbs:  The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle

Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle – Get Book

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Arizona Worker Fired For Euthanizing War Hero Dog – Is It Enough?

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November 12, 2011 Posted by | Animal or Pet Related Stories, Dogs, Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , | 16 Comments

Update: Retired disabled military dog Rocky Has Been Saved!

Retired disabled military dog Rocky dies if not adopted; UPDATE: Rocky is saved!

Give now to help others last chance pets like Rocky

Photo: Gloria Hillard/NPR

Pets for Patriots is a small charity, but we were able to mobilize 42,393 people* to save Rocky, a three-tour Iraq war canine veteran (*as of 8:15pm ET 8/18/11).

Your donations are needed to save more pets like Rocky: dogs and cats who will never become an overnight internet sensation or have major news media vying to tell their tale. These “last chance” pets – adult and other at-risk shelter dogs and cats – face near-certain death if not adopted. We connect them to veterans and service members who need a new pet friend, arrange access to reduced cost veterinary care and provide direct financial support towards the purchase of pet food and other basics. Your tax-deductible gift is necessary to help us save the next Rocky and, in so doing, transform the life of the veteran who chose to Be A Pet’s HeroTM.

Click here to give to our cause

UPDATE 8/18/11 9:25 AM ET: ROCKY IS SAVED!! We have been informed that Rocky will be adopted. Please DO NOT CALL Camp Pendleton, Lackland AFB or Pets for Patriots regarding his case; we are all overloaded with a deluge of inquiries about his plight. THANK YOU to all who have answered Rocky’s call and helped to assure his final years will be spent with a loving family.

*****

Rocky is a retired military dog who will be put down on August 24 if he’s not adopted. He served three tours in Iraq and desperately needs a loving home to enjoy his final years. Pets for Patriots is responding to a request to help create awareness of this veteran’s plight. We have spoken to authorities at Camp Pendleton in San Diego and confirmed this story.

Rocky currently lives at Camp Pendleton, his home base since entering the Marine Corps in 2004. He served three tours in Iraq between 2004 and 2007 as a patrol and explosives dog, and returned to the states. We had previously noted that his last handler was killed in theater, but have since been advised that is not the case. However, since returning to the U.S., he has not had a steady handler, but has continued to serve on base until March of this year. By that time, a degenerative condition rendered him unable to work and he was retired. Typically an ex-military K9 will be adopted by his handler, but Rocky has no handler to call his own.

The base kennels are not suitable to provide the type of ongoing care and attention that Rocky needs and deserves. And without an individual or family to adopt him, he will be put down. He was recently featured in an article about military dogs enjoying a bright future after service, but that’s not the case for him.

Because Rocky is a retired patrol dog, military protocol does not permit him to be surrendered to a shelter.

Like most military working dogs, Rocky is independent, but he has a sweet temperament and enjoys relaxing in the sun. As a result of his disability, he uses a canine wheelchair and needs assistance to do “his business.” He would do best in a family that can devote a lot of time to him, and that has no small children or other animals. As with many military canines, Rocky shows slight dog aggression. More than anything, Rocky needs someone who honors his service, and who will love and accept him.

Rocky is nine years, nine months old with these known medical conditions:

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia/Enlarged prostate
Mild hip dysplasia L coxofemoral joint, grade I
Bilateral coxofemoral DJD (mild)
Bilateral neurologic defecits rear legs – degenerative myelopathy
Pressure/kennel sores

P.S.: Our thanks to Military.com for sharing Rocky’s story in a hot rush!

P.P.S.: We welcome your comments, but if you use profanity or threaten another user you will be removed and blocked.

Source: Pets for Patriots

August 24, 2011 Posted by | Adopt Just One More Pet, Dogs, Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pets, Stop Animal Cruelty, Stop Euthenization, Success Stories, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , | 15 Comments

Retired disabled military dog Rocky dies if not adopted — Pets For Patriots Blog

Retired disabled military dog Rocky dies if not adopted — Pets For Patriots Blog
Pets For Patriots Blog ^

Posted on Wed Aug 17 2011 19:14:09 GMT-0600 (Mountain Daylight Time) by Pit1

SENT VIA EMAIL

Subject: Retired disabled military dog Rocky dies if not adopted — Pets For Patriots Blog

Three tours in Iraq and they want to kill this Marine.  Disgusting end for one of our veterans. Our military should stand by our K-9 soldiers or leave them alone.   I have forwarded this article on to my congressman.  Prayers up for someone to love and help Rocky.  Read comments after article. 

Carl

http://blog.petsforpatriots.org/retired-disabled-military-dog-rocky/

PLEASE CONGRESSMAN HULTGREN, HELP THIS VETERAN OUT.  THANK YOU. CARL SWENSEN

Retired disabled military dog Rocky dies if not adopted; served three tours in Iraq

Rocky lost the use of his hind legs during his service as a military working dog. To assist his chances for adoption, he has been outfitted with a dog wheelchair.

Gloria Hillard/NPR

Rocky lost the use of his hind legs during his service as a military working dog. To assist his chances for adoption, he has been outfitted with a dog wheelchair.

Rocky is a retired military dog who will be put down on August 24 if he’s not adopted. He served three tours in Iraq and desperately needs a loving home to enjoy his final years. Pets for Patriots is responding to a request to help create awareness of this veteran’s plight. We have spoken to authorities at Camp Pendleton in San Diego and confirmed this story.

Rocky currently lives at Camp Pendleton, his home base since entering the Marine Corps in 2004. He served three tours in Iraq between 2004 and 2007 as a patrol and explosives dog, and returned to the states after his last handler was killed in theater. Since then, he has not had a steady handler, but has continued to serve on base until March of this year. By that time, a degenerative condition rendered him unable to work and he was retired. Typically an ex-military K9 will be adopted by his handler, but Rocky has no handler to call his own.

The base kennels are not suitable to provide the type of ongoing care and attention that Rocky needs and deserves. And without an individual or family to adopt him, he will be put down. He was recently featured in an article about military dogs enjoying a bright future after service, but that’s not the case for him.

Because Rocky is a retired patrol dog, military protocol does not permit him to be surrendered to a shelter.

Like most military working dogs, Rocky is independent, but he has a sweet temperament and enjoys relaxing in the sun. As a result of his disability, he uses a canine wheelchair and needs assistance to do “his business.” He would do best in a family that can devote a lot of time to him, and that has no small children or other animals. As with many military canines, Rocky shows slight dog aggression. More than anything, Rocky needs someone who honors his service, and who will love and accept him.

Rocky’s known medical conditions:

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia/Enlarged prostate
Mild hip dysplasia L coxofemoral joint, grade I
Bilateral coxofemoral DJD (mild)
Bilateral neurologic defecits rear legs – degenerative myelopathy
Pressure/kennel sores

If you or someone you know has a big heart for this dog who put his life on the line for our country, please contact Camp Pendleton directly and immediately if you have questions about Rocky:

Spc. Joseph Ramsey: (760) 725-5527; email: joseph.t.ramsey@us.army.mil

Spc. Jade Clarke: (760) 725-5527; email: jade.clarke@us.army.mil

If you’d like to adopt Rocky, please fill out an application online. This will take you to Lackland AFB, which processes all requests for military dog adoptions across the United States armed forces.

P.S.: Our thanks to Military.com for sharing Rocky’s story in a hot rush!  And please share this information with anyone who might be able to help Rocky find a forever home… for his service!!

C’mon dog lovers, retired Vets, or anyone with a big heart… putting this dog down is just not right!!

August 18, 2011 Posted by | Adopt Just One More Pet, animals, Change Number of Pet Restrictive Laws. Ordinances and Rules, Dogs, Fostering and Rescue, Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, NO KILL NATION, Pet Friendship and Love, Pets, Service and Military Animals, Stop Animal Cruelty, Unusual Stories, We Are All God's Creatures | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Dog That Cornered Osama Bin Laden

When U.S. President Barack Obama went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, last week for a highly publicized but very private meeting with the commando team that killed Osama bin Laden, only one of the 81 members of the super-secret  SEAL DevGru unit was identified by name: Cairo, the war dog.

Cairo, like most canine members of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs, is a Belgian Malinois. The Malinois breed is similar to German shepherds but smaller and more compact, with an adult male weighing in the 30-kilo range.

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(German shepherds are still used as war dogs by the American military but the lighter, stubbier Malinois is considered better for the tandem parachute jumping and rappelling operations often undertaken by SEAL teams. Labrador retrievers are also favored by various military organizations around the world.)

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Like their human counterparts, the dog SEALs are highly trained, highly skilled, highly motivated special ops experts, able to perform extraordinary military missions by SEa, Air and Land (thus the acronym).

The dogs carry out a wide range of specialized duties for the military teams to which they are attached: With a sense of smell 40 times greater than a human’s, the dogs are trained to detect and identify both explosive material and  hostile or hiding humans.

The dogs are twice as fast as a fit human, so anyone trying to escape is not likely to outrun Cairo or his buddies.

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The dogs, equipped with video cameras, also enter certain danger zones first, allowing their handlers to see what’s ahead before humans follow.

As I mentioned before, SEAL dogs are even trained parachutists, jumping either in tandem with their handlers or solo, if the jump is into water.

Last year canine parachute instructor Mike Forsythe and his dog Cara  set the world record for highest man-dog parachute deployment, jumping from more than 30,100 feet up — the altitude transoceanic passenger jets fly at. Both Forsythe and Cara were wearing oxygen masks and skin protectors for the jump.

Here’s a photo from that jump, taken by Andy Anderson for K9 Storm Inc. (more about those folks shortly).

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As well, the dogs are faithful, fearless and ferocious — incredibly frightening and efficient attackers.

I have seen it reported repeatedly that the teeth of SEAL war dogs are replaced with titanium implants that are stronger, sharper and scare-your-pants-off  intimidating, but a U.S. military spokesman has denied that charge, so I really don’t know (never having seen a canine SEAL face-to-face). I do know that I’ve never seen a photo of a war dog with anything even vaguely resembling a set of shiny metal chompers.

When the SEAL DevGru team (usually known by its old designation, Team 6) hit bin Laden’s Pakistan compound on May 2, Cairo’s feet would have been four of the first on the ground.

And like the human SEALs, Cairo was wearing super-strong, flexible body armour and outfitted with high-tech equipment that included “doggles” — specially designed and fitted dog googles with night-vision and infrared capability that would even allow Cairo to see human heat forms through concrete walls.

Now where on earth would anyone get that kind of incredibly niche hi-tech doggie gear?

From Winnipeg, of all places.

Jim and Glori Slater’s Manitoba hi-tech mom-and-pop business, K9 Storm Inc., has a deserved worldwide  reputation for designing and manufacturing probably the best body armour available for police and military dogs. Working dogs in 15 countries around the world are currently protected by their K9 Storm body armour.

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Jim Slater was a canine handler on the Winnipeg Police Force when he crafted a Kevlar protective jacket for his own dog, Olaf, in the mid-1990s. Soon Slater was making body armour for other cop dogs, then the Canadian military and soon the world.

The standard K9 Storm vest also has a load-bearing harness system that makes it ideal for tandem rappelling and parachuting.

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And then there are the special hi-tech add-ons that made the K9 Storm especially appealing to the U.S. Navy SEALs, who bought four of  K9 Storm Inc.’s top-end Intruder “canine tactical assault suits” last year for $86,000. You can be sure Cairo was wearing one of those four suits when he jumped into bin Laden’s lair.

Here’s an explanation of all the K9 Storm Intruder special features:

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Just as the Navy SEALS and other elite special forces are the sharp point of the American military machine, so too are their dogs at the top of a canine military heirarchy.

In all, the U.S. military currently has about 2,800 active-duty dogs deployed around the world, with roughly 600 now in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Here’s the link to a dandy photo essay about U.S. war dogs  ( http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/war_dog?page=0,0 ) that just appeared in the journal Foreign Policy.

Several of the photos I have included here are from Foreign Policy, as you will see. Other photos are from K9 Storm Inc.

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As for the ethics of sending dogs to war, that’s pretty much a moot point, don’t you think? If it’s ethical to send humans into combat, then why not dogs?

At least the U.S. now treats its war dogs as full members of the military. At the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. combat dogs there were designated as “surplus military equipment” and left behind when American forces pulled out.

h/t to Doc1 and Sue Hooper

Re-Posted:  Just One More Pet

July 10, 2011 Posted by | animal behavior, Animal or Pet Related Stories, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet and Animal Training, Unusual Stories, Working and Military Dogs and Related | , , , , , , , | 14 Comments