April+R

April Rider Military Dogs: They do have a Purpose When you think of the United States military what usually comes to your mind? I think of big, brave, rough and tough servicemen and women. Have you ever thought of the military having big, brave, rough and tough dogs? I didn’t even think about them either but, that is because I never heard much about them. I knew that dogs have been used to help catch criminals or locating people who are lost in the forests. I knew police used dogs to help sniff out drugs. I never thought that the military would use them during a war. I found out that the military utilizes them in many ways including: as patrol partners, trackers/locators, alerts, relayers, and explosive finders. Whether people realize it or not dogs are a major part of any military branch and they are hardly ever mentioned. They don’t really get the credit they deserve for the work that they do defending us. Military working dogs first entered the ranks in March of 1942 in the Army’s K-9 Corp and have been helping out service men and women since then. These dogs are a vital part in searching for explosives and bombs, finding human escapees, catching the enemy and rescuing those in need. The dogs have to go through a lot of similar drills as the service men and women have to go through but just in different ways. Dogs go through a five-month long training program at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. This is the only facility in the country that trains dogs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Each and every dog has to be certified after its training course before they enter the operation zone. The dogs are certified in explosive detection and patrol, which means they will attack on command, or protect themselves or their handler. After the dogs complete their training, they are stationed on military posts all over the world and they are assigned a handler. The dog and the handler are with each other 24/7. [|The dog lives with the handler and they train the dog even more.] They do this so that when the handler and the dog are deployed overseas the dog will be comfortable and ready for anything that might come its way. In the Air Force, the security police, which they are called, have the dogs so that they can have them sniff for explosives. In the Army, the military police, which they are called, handle dogs and they are used in various ways to help the ground soldiers. The dogs will help any military branch in many ways and also in ways that humans can not help in. One of the best ways dogs are used for is chasing down the enemy. They are so much faster than any human could ever be. The next best way they are used is for their remarkable sense of smell. Military dogs are very well trained and capable of detecting all sorts of explosives. On average these dogs are 98% accurate in their detection abilities. “It’s like the dogs know we’re going to be there for them the same way they’re there for us.” states U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert P. Hansen. I believe this is true. My dad is in the Air Force and he always says that the “military would not work in the way it does without the help of its nonhuman counterparts.” The military dogs seem to boost the moral of the service men and women. The book __From Baghdad with Love__ showed how a group of fighting soldiers can become weak at the knees when they saw Lava a German Shepard mix dog. Lava made Lt. Kopelman and the other troops keep going and keep fighting. Having a dog around probably reminded them of home[|. Military dogs are not just working dogs; they are their handler’s best friend.] Not to mention that they are the most loyal team member the military could have. The dogs will sacrifice themselves for the safety of the soldiers. In my opinion, the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corp would not operate in the fashion that they do without having the loyal dogs there with them through some very tough times. From all the pictures I have seen of the dogs and their handlers and the other troops they all seem to have a genuine bond together. The dogs know that their handler will be there for them, in the same way the handlers know that the dogs will always be there for them. So I hope that in reading this many will change their opinion on military dogs and all that they do for the military in so many different ways.

__Defend America__ 6 May 2008 images <[|http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/sept2005/articles/ai1605al.jpg>.] "Dogs in the Military." __YouTube__ (2007) 30 April 2008 . "More than a dog, A Soldier and Partner." __The US Departmnet of Defense__ 30 April 2008 <[|http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2006/Working-Dogs/>. Mott, Maryann. "Dogs of War: Inside the U.S. Military's Canine Corp." __National Geographic__ 1996 1. 30 April 2008 <[|http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0409_030409_militarydogs.html>.] Prickett, Christi. "Military Working Dogs Essential Tool in Iraq ." 1. 30 April 2008 <[|http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/may2005/a050405la3.html>.] "The Military Working Dog History." 2002 2. 6 May 2008 <[|http://www.militaryworkingdog.com/history/>.]