War Dogs Introduction

While much about the daring raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan remains secret, one little known detail is the commando team included a bomb sniffing dog. The heroic canine was strapped to a member of the SEAL team as he lowered himself and the dog to the ground from a hovering helicopter near the compound. Heavily armored hounds equipped with infrared night-sight cameras have been used in the past by the top-secret unit.



The war dogs wear ballistic body armor to withstand damage from single and double-edged knives, as well as protective gear which shields them from shrapnel and gunfire. Some dogs are trained to silently locate booby traps and concealed enemies such as snipers. The dog’s keen senses of smell and hearing make him or her far more effective at detecting these dangers than humans. The best scout dogs are described as having a disposition between docile tracking dogs and aggressive attack dogs.



Because I devoted over 18 years of my life serving stateside and abroad with both civilian and military K9 police, I feel compelled to share a series on this subject. Today’s post is a means of introduction to what is an extremely multifaceted and rewarding but highly dangerous career field. War dogs are currently refered to as Military Working Dogs or MWD's.

I hope you will enjoy this centuries old journey across a fascinating topic entailing more than you may expect to find. But before I begin, I'd like to first pay tribute to the canine heroes of September 11th, 2001.



In the aftermath, one-third of the 300 canines called to duty there have died.

Postscript WARNING - This news report just in: Use caution opening emails or clicking internet links promising footage or photos of Osama bin Laden's death. Some of these contain very nasty viruses!