National Geographic: War Dogs

[LiberalElite]

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/06/war-dogs/paterniti-text

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Here is Marine Corporal Jose Armenta in his tent on the night before getting blown up in Afghanistan. He jokes with Mulrooney and Berry and the medic the guys have nicknamed “Christ.” He feeds and waters his dog, Zenit, a sable-coat German shepherd. He lets Buyes, who will be dead in three months, ruffle Zenit’s fur, for the radioman is crazy about the dog.

Then he takes Zenit outside in the waning light of this dusty, desert otherworld to train.

They’re happiest like this. Jose has Zenit sit, which the dog does obediently, and then Jose jogs 50 yards down and hides a rubber toy, a Kong, up against a mud wall, covering it with dirt. On Jose’s command, Zenit bursts forward, zigging in search of it, tail wagging. It’s an intricate dance. Voice commands met by precise canine action, always with the same end goal in mind—to find the toy. Tomorrow, on patrol, the objective will be finding not a toy but an improvised explosive device, or IED, one of the Taliban’s most brutally effective weapons against American troops here in what many consider the most dangerous province in one of the world’s most dangerous countries. And no dog can find every bomb every time.

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[bluedigger]

1. That was excellent.

Thanks for sharing!

[LiberalElite]

2. .

[swilton]

3. Great article

I did some research on dogs of war - research done at the USMC History museum at the Washington Navy Yard. As part of that project I interviewed some dog handlers from the Vietnam War.....told me then (the interview was in the early 80's) they had to leave many of their dogs behind because it was just policy. Not certain if this was due to parasites/diseases the dogs might have contracted or what....

To make the long story short - there is now a legislative initiative to care for the dogs when they are passed their working prime. I know many dogs who work for the government - due to their sense of smell (i.e., bomb sniffing, etc.) have a somewhat limited shelf life because their extremely acute sense of smell eventually wanes.... Although I'm far from an authority on the legislation, apparently it would allow for the dogs to be retired and cared for by their handlers...

This was an excellent article and it's bookmarked!