Popular adages may promise every dog its day, but the sad reality is canines that serve in the US military — sniffing out bombs, mines and other explosive devices — aren’t even guaranteed return transport after multiple tours of duty overseas. Often, they are left behind with new owners abroad when their handlers return home.…
As the desert air cooled and night fell, Staff Sgt. John Mariana looked down into the reassuring eyes of one of the most valuable comrades of his eight-month deployment to Afghanistan: Bronco, his military working dog. Sgt. Mariana and Bronco were leading a U.S. patrol in June 2011, searching for roadside bombs. Bronco kept his…
CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – Military working dog handlers put a spin on the old adage, ‘teach an old dog new tricks,’ by participating in a fast-roping exercise with their dogs Oct. 7 at the Camp Hansen rappel tower.This was the first time handlers with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion tried fast-roping with their dogs. Alongside…
It is driven to hunt and capture prey. It looks like a leaner, more agile German Shepherd. It has a 270-degree field of vision and the force of its bite equals 1,400 pounds per square inch. It can run 30 miles per hour. It can withstand the heat of the desert and an August day in Washington,…
In the free-for-all that constitutes information sharing in the age of Twitter, Face Book, and personal blogs, there is plenty of misinformation about Military Working Dogs (MWDs) circulating on social media and on not-to-be-trusted websites. These myths range from the fairly innocuous and tiresome (MWDs are outfitted with titanium teeth to make them more…
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Throughout the ages, dogs have served as a valuable asset to militaries everywhere. In modern times they continue to serve with U.S. Soldiers in some of the most dangerous conflicts ever. Prior to the year 2000 when a military working dog was retired from service it was euthanized, but on…
CENTRAL TRAINING AREA, OKINAWA, Japan – Military working dog handlers and their dogs executed explosives and narcotics detection, patrolling and bite work training Aug. 7 in the Central Training Area, Okinawa, Japan. During the scenarios, the dogs searched for hidden narcotics and explosives along a trail and in a building. The patrol training involved dogs…
BARSTOW, Calif. – Law enforcement K-9s and their handlers from the Marine Corps Police Department K-9 Section on MCLB Barstow engaged in training to detect explosives and narcotics, Sept. 2. The training included simulations of real world scenarios, encountered locally and internationally, in which K-9 teams have been called out for detection of various…
The following has been posted by Sean Lulofs in response to the false story about Military Working Dogs being left behind that has been posted on the internet many times over the last week. Please read and post as many times as possible. Let get the truth out there.Thank you. So many of you have been…
HOUSTON – U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Jonathan Cavender reunited Wednesday with Military Working Dog Maxi, a Belgian Malinois with whom he served with for two years in Japan. “From the moment I became her handler I knew that I wanted to be the one that gave her a loving home after all of her years…