Mary+H

Mary Hartfiel Mrs. Downey College Prep English 1 May, 2008 Military Dogs In August of 1942, in Front Royal, Virginia, the first official training center was established. There were originally only nine dogs that started at the center. Since then, thousands of dogs have been trained through centers much like the original all over the United States. Since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, security forces have tried very hard to train and deploy many more dogs than past years. In 2008 alone, there will be 350 dogs will go through the [|Lackland Air Force Base], in San Antonio, Texas. The training would normally take about four to five months. This is the only base in the country that trains dogs for the U.S. army, navy, Air Force, and the Marine Corps. Dogs have been used in the military since World War I. Then, dogs were used for many of the same jobs that they are used today for. One of the most important jobs was messenger dogs. They would bring messages between two different handlers so they could communicate, but not be seen together. It was the best way of communication that they had at the time. In modern times, we have technology that enables us to communicate much easier and quicker. They were also used as sentry dogs. They would warn any of the enemy that got to close. They would grow, bark, and threaten them. They let them know that they had to listen, or else they would be in trouble. Nowadays, we still have many dogs that have this job. They are very obedient and concentrated. Now the more popular jobs for working dogs would be explosive detection, and tracking. These are very important jobs now and are needed to be done. They dogs were used for many other jobs over the years as well. The dogs would search mines and track people and things like that too. After dogs retire, the military working dog program tries to find them a suitable home. Sadly, many of the dogs that come out of the military cannot go into a regular home. They grew too used to the war, and are not safe because of how they are trained. If they receive a wrong signal, they could seriously injure someone. They would never let someone take a dog that could possibly be dangerous. Other dogs, find it easy go back to the way of life, but sadly the rest can never have real homes. When a dog is deployed they are normally given s handler. [|The handler is responsible for the dog in every way.] They need to feed the dog, bathe it, and even get it vaccinated. The handler has to know where the dog is at all times. [|They will grow very close] because they spend all of their time together. Sometimes, when you feel alone and helpless, all you need is some love or to know that someone cares about you. Dogs are always forgiving and loving. The dogs do not just do the job they are assigned. They offer the soldiers a sense of hope and a little piece of home. If shows them that even with all of the sadness and deaths going on all around them, that they forget how much love and innocence is around them A soldier said, “You look in their eyes and you just know they want to help you like you want to help them.” That shows the close relationship between the dog and the handler. Recently, a law was passed that said that a dog’s handler can adopt the dog after both of them are deployed. It makes it easier for both of them because they become so attached to each other that they do not want to leave each other. It is also easier on the dog to adjust to everyday life, and to become a normal dog again if they are with someone that they know and care about. The dogs can normally work for up to twelve hours a day. They also have ninety-eight percent accuracy in their smelling and hearing. This can help us very much because human’s sense of smell and hearing are not nearly as good as a canine. The German shepherd is the breed of dog that is used most often. They are most likely bred outside of the United States, and then the United States buys the dogs from the other countries, then they train them. They go through a program and are hopefully ready to be deployed. Then after their training they are ready to work and be in the military. After the dogs are trained, they are worth somewhere in the vicinity of $11,000. Some dogs work for many years and others do not. Some dogs are bred to be in the military. These dogs love to work. They are determined, courageous, and hard working. They know the importance of their work and know that they must do what they were trained to do. They love what they do. The types of dogs that are used in the military are naturally working dogs. It is just in their nature to want to work and do labor. Over the years, dogs have done a lot for the United States military. They have given up their lives for their handler or another soldier. They have saved many lives. They made the United States a happier and safer place to be. Works Cited Miliary working dog foundation. __http://www.militaryworkingdogs.com/__‌. 8 Apr. 2008. 8 May 2008 . Military working dog program. “the military working dog.” __http://www.militaryworkingdog.com/__‌__history/__‌. 1 Mar. 2006. 8 May 2008 . New York Times. __http://usmilitary.about.com/__‌__od/__‌__jointservices/__‌__a/__‌__militarydogs.htm__. 3 Feb. 2008. 8 May 2008 . War Dog association. __http://www.war-dogs.com/__‌. 7 June 2007. 8 May 2008 .