Army Dogs fly!

[buglerbilly]

From The Times March 16, 2010

Combat dogs take to the skies for secret missions in Afghanistan


(EuroPics )

Great photo.........!!!

The special forces of 14 countries conducted the big joint military exercise "Cold response" in minus 30 degrees in Narvik, Norway. The picture shows an Austrian special forces trooper training parachuting with dogs. Land, air and sea special forces participated in the exercise.

Two members of the Austrian special forces join Nato’s Operation Cold Response, one of Europe’s biggest military exercises, in Narvik, Norway.

Dropping from 10,000ft, they glide in order to land unnoticed. The dogs often carry cameras and are trained to attack anyone carrying a weapon.

“Dogs don’t perceive height difference, so that doesn’t worry them. They’re more likely to be bothered by the roar of the engines, but once we’re on the way down, that doesn’t matter and they just enjoy the view,” said the dog handler. “It’s something he does a lot. He has a much cooler head than most recruits.”

Commandos from 14 countries, including British special forces and Royal Marines, took part in the Nato exercise. The use of dogs in High Altitude High Opening missions was pioneered by America’s Delta Force, which trained the animals to breathe through oxygen masks during the jump.

The SAS has adapted similar techniques and, according to special forces sources, bought a number of American-trained dogs for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The dogs used by the British are fitted with a head camera, allowing special forces to see inside insurgent compounds, and Kevlar body armour.

As well as reconnaissance, the animals are trained to attack anyone carrying a weapon, although it is claimed that they will not attack those who are unarmed.

Two SAS dogs are reported to have died on raids in Iraq. Thor and Scotty were killed in 2008 when British special forces waged a successful campaign to destroy al-Qaeda’s bombing networks in Baghdad. Both animals are remembered on a stone memorial at the SAS headquarters in Hereford.

[buglerbilly]

New working dog regiment to support Afghan operations

A Defence Policy and Business news article

1 Apr 10

Following the surge in operational demand for Military Working Dogs (MWD) in Afghanistan a new Military Working Dog Regiment has been formed, marked with a parade and skill demonstrations in Sennelager, Germany.


Lance Corporal Jennifer Lockhart with working dog Baloo
[Picture: Cpl James Williams RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

MWD Support Units have been in high demand by commanders of operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and most recently Afghanistan.

In recent years this demand has been met by the formation of five independent units - 101, 102, 103, 104 and 105 MWD Support Units based in Aldershot (101), North Luffenham (104) and Sennelager (102, 103 and 105).

To consolidate these units the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, under command of Lieutenant Colonel David Thorpe, formally assumed command of the five MWD Squadrons last week, with the Regimental Headquarters to be established in Chiron Lines, Sennelager.

The Regiment will comprise 284 soldiers and officers and around 200 military working dogs and will continue to be based in three locations in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Its primary operational role is the support of the lead Brigade in Afghanistan with the provision of protection and specialist Military Working Dogs and veterinary support to the command.

The Regiment will provide a diverse set of assets which can assist in the full spectrum of military functions.

It will continue to play a leading role in searching and helping to clear routes, buildings and vehicles in Afghanistan and will help to guard and patrol key installations to assist in the development of enhanced base security and will provide a range of other capabilities wherever they are needed in the rest of the world.


Lance Corporal Jennifer Lockhart on parade with working dog Baloo
[Picture: Cpl James Williams RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

General Officer Commanding Theatre Troops, Major General Bruce Brealey has taken a personal interest in the formation of the Regiment and was the senior visiting officer on parade. He said:

"The formation of 1st Military Working Dog Regiment is a major step forward in the development of a key capability that is making a major contribution to operational success every day in Afghanistan.

"I am always hugely impressed by the commitment, professional excellence and enthusiasm of the officers and soldiers of the Military Working Dog sub-units; their individual and collective efforts will be focused even more effectively by their new Commanding Officer."

Commanding Officer 1 MWD Regt, Lt Col David Thorpe said:

"Military Working Dogs have been in the vanguard of recent and on-going operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and are a key force multiplier across the full spectrum of operations.

"The dog and its handler have a uniquely close relationship both in barracks and when deployed on operations.

"I have been immensely impressed by the dedication of all those involved and have witnessed the huge amount of time, personal effort, support and resources it takes to deliver a trained dog team onto the ground in Afghanistan."


Private Kelly Wolstoncroft with working dog Molly
[Picture: Cpl James Williams RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

On parade at the formation of the Regiment was Private Kelly Wolstencroft, 103 MWD, with her Armed Explosive Search dog Molly. Pte Wolstencroft said:

"It is a real joy to work with these animals. It gives you great job satisfaction to know that you are working with dogs who are saving so many lives in theatre."

The 24-year-old also said her capability provides assurance and is a massive morale boost for the guys in the Forward Operating Bases.

Also on parade was Lance Corporal Jenny Lockhart from 103 MWD, who said:

"I love the job because you learn something new every day and there is a great morale within the unit to work with."

Jenny's own dog is Baloo, a protection dog.

Command 29 Explosive Ordnance Disposal & Search Group, Colonel Jonathan Welch MBE, said:

"The formation of 1st MWD Regt RAVC [Royal Army Veterinary Corps] is a significant milestone.

"It demonstrates the vital contribution that all the MWD sub-units are making to the campaign in Afghanistan.

"The provision of detection and protection capabilities combined with the wider veterinary support is adding real value to current operations, especially in combating Improvised Explosive Devices."

[Riđđu]

I once heard that you must make sure that the animal doesn´t eat anything before airborne military dog operations (for obvious reasons). Maybe it was even on the manual.. No kidding!

[buglerbilly]

Military Dog Traumatized in Iraq

August 03, 2010

Associated Press



PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Gina was a playful 2-year-old German shepherd when she went to Iraq as a highly trained bomb-sniffing dog with the military, conducting door-to-door searches and witnessing all sorts of noisy explosions.

She returned home to Colorado cowering and fearful. When her handlers tried to take her into a building, she would stiffen her legs and resist. Once inside, she would tuck her tail beneath her body and slink along the floor. She would hide under furniture or in a corner to avoid people.

A military veterinarian diagnosed with her post-traumatic stress disorder -- a condition that experts say can afflict dogs just like it does humans.

"She showed all the symptoms and she had all the signs," said Master Sgt. Eric Haynes, the kennel master at Peterson Air Force Base. "She was terrified of everybody and it was obviously a condition that led her down that road."

A year later, Gina is on the mend. Frequent walks among friendly people and a gradual reintroduction to the noises of military life have begun to overcome her fears, Haynes said.

Haynes describes her progress as "outstanding."

"Pretty fabulous, actually," added Staff Sgt. Melinda Miller, who's been Gina's handler since May. "She makes me look pretty good."

PTSD is well-documented among American servicemen and women returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but its existence in animals is less clear-cut. Some veterinarians say animals do experience it, or a version of it.

"There is a condition in dogs which is almost precisely the same, if not precisely the same, as PTSD in humans," said Nicholas Dodman, head of the animal behavior program at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

But some veterinarians dislike applying the diagnosis to animals, thinking it demeans servicemen and women, Dodman said. He added that he means no offense to military personnel when he uses the term.

The military defines PTSD as a condition that develops after a life-threatening trauma. Victims suffer three types of experiences long afterward, even in a safe environment. They repeatedly re-experience the trauma in nightmares or vivid memories. They avoid situations or feelings that remind them of the event, and they feel keyed up all the time.

When Gina returned to Peterson last year after her six-month deployment in Iraq, she was no longer the "great little pup" Haynes remembered.

She had been assigned to an Army unit, and her job was to search for explosives after Soldiers entered a house. The troops sometimes used noisy, blinding "flash-bang" grenades and kicked down doors, Haynes said, and Gina was once in a convoy when another vehicle was hit by an improvised bomb.

Back home at Peterson, Gina wanted nothing to do with people.

"She'd withdrawn from society as a whole," Haynes said.

Haynes, who has worked with more than 100 dogs in 12 years as a handler and kennel master, said he has seen other dogs rattled by trauma, but none as badly as Gina.

Haynes and other handlers coaxed Gina on walks, sending someone ahead to pass out treats for bystanders to give her. They got her over her fear of walking through doors by stationing someone she knew on the other side to reward her with pats and play. They eased her farther into buildings with the same technique.

"She started learning that everyone wasn't trying to get her," Haynes said. "She began acting more social again."

On a sunny afternoon last week, Gina dashed across her training yard, jumping over obstacles on command and deftly pushing a ball with her forelegs and chest. On a visit to a store on base, she trotted calmly down the aisles and sat quietly when a woman bent to pet her.

"She's such a lovable dog," Miller said, describing how the 61-pound Gina will lie in her lap. "I could literally hold this dog like a baby."

But Haynes said they're careful not to let their affection interfere with good training. Treating Gina like a human -- for example, comforting her when she's frightened -- can leave her thinking that her handler is pleased when she's afraid.

"She's just gorgeous and I love her, but you also have to balance it with -- you have to do what's right," he said.

Gina has resumed some of her duties, searching cars for explosives at Peterson or other nearby military facilities. Eventually, she may be able to return to the kind of hazardous duty she did in Iraq, but that's at least a year away, Haynes said.

"We're not planning on doing it anytime in the near future because obviously, we don't want to mess up everything we've already fixed," he said.

Dodman said he doubts Gina can recover completely.

"It's a fact that fears once learned are never unlearned," Dodman said. "The best thing you can do is apply new learning, which is what [Gina's handlers are] doing," he said.

Haynes acknowledged that's a concern, and although he hopes Gina recovers 100 percent he doesn't know if she will.

"Anytime someone has that much fear about anything, then obviously it will be hard just to get it fixed," he said.

"But, I mean, we don't really have many other options," Haynes said. "You can't really give up on them. They're your partner."


Trauma: After returning from Iraq Gina refused to enter rooms and would hide from people under furniture after months of door-to-door searches

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Gubler, A.]

From The Times March 16, 2010

Combat dogs take to the skies for secret missions in Afghanistan

Pft... That's nothing.

When Australian tracker dogs were first given an airborne mission back in the 50s and 60s they were taught to parajump by THEMSELVES. The dog was kitted with its own parachute and taught to jump out the door... One dog did 40 something odd jumps...

See: Australian Airborne by John O'Connor.

[buglerbilly]

Yeah! AND I bet it barked Waltzing Matilda on the way down too..................:thumbsup

None of this limp-paw "bowsie wowsie" shit for an Aussie dog............:cool:

[buglerbilly]

New Vests, Gear For U.S. Navy SEAL K-9 Dogs

By DAVID LARTER

Published: 21 Aug 2010 10:59

The U.S. Navy's SEALs always roll with top-of-the-line gear. And their dogs are no exception.

San Diego-based Naval Special Warfare Group 1 announced Aug. 4 it was purchasing four high-tech canine tactical vests produced by K9 Storm, out of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The main advantage of the Intruder vest is its light weight, company owner Jim Slater said.

The 20-ounce vest features an infrared and night-vision-enabled camera that feeds a 3-inch video recorder and monitor kept by the handler. The camera weighs just 11 ounces.

"It adds another dimension to the K9 service," Slater said. "It gives you the ability to see what the dog can see."

Handlers will receive a feed from up to 1,000 yards line-of-site and up to 200 yards through multiple concrete walls with the IR system. The system is waterproof up to 10 feet. The four vests and camera systems total $86,457.

Slater said the Navy began showing interest in the vest in January.

The vest comes in coyote tan and MultiCam, so the dog will be just as camouflaged as its handler.

The Intruder will run on rechargeable batteries with a 30-minute life for both the monitor and camera.

[buglerbilly]

The Dogs of War Go Airborne in Afghanistan

By Adam Rawnsley November 8, 2010 | 3:53 pm

Dogs have been involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts since the start; pooches are NATO’s best bomb detectors, for instance. But the canines are taking on new wartimes roles – as paratroopers in Afghanistan and as improvised explosive devices in Iraq.

Members of Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS) special forces have begun parachuting into enemy strongholds in Afghanistan with Taliban-seeking German shepherds strapped to their chests. Once on the ground, the dogs hunt for Taliban insurgents in buildings and — with cameras strapped to their heads sending back video — act as forward scouts for the British special forces unit. The work is every bit as dangerous for the dogs as it is for their human counterparts, The Guardian reports. Eight SAS paratrooper pups killed in combat thus far.

Though the missions are officially secret, earlier reports of the pups’ training shed some light on how the British special forces are likely using them. SAS pooches are trained for High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) jumps, in which parachutes are deployed at a high altitude and long horizontal distance away from a target location in order to allow jumpers to glide in without detection. The SAS dogs are trained to jump tethered to their handlers from heights as high as 25,000 feet and up to 20 miles away — or a 30 minute glide — from a target location. At that height, the lack of oxygen puts them at risk for hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, so the dogs are fitted with special masks to give them breathable air. The Brits reportedly borrowed the tactic from America’s super-secret Delta Force, which first trained dogs to make HAHO jumps.

For their part, Iraqi insurgents may have also developed a new way to use dogs as weapons, albeit in a more gruesome fashion.

A French newspaper is reporting that two years ago al-Qaeda in Iraq surgically implanted two stray dogs with explosives in an attempt to blow up a Los Angeles-bound cargo plane while it was in mid-flight. Not surprisingly, amateur surgery to cram explosives into living mammals can cause some serious complications, both for the patient’s health and its future terrorist intentions. The plot failed because the dogs died from the effects of surgery and were thus never loaded on board.

It’s important to remember that as authorities grow concerned about hidden explosive devices developed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and rumors circulate about surgically-implanted breast and butt bombs. If the al-Qaeda in Iraq dogs plot was the animal trial for implant bombs in humans, the method may be dead on arrival.

[buglerbilly]

This is the original Guardian article...............edited to remove the wank comments from the Fascist nutjobs at PETA.......... :f-off

SAS parachute dogs of war into Taliban bases

German shepherds reportedly have video cameras strapped to their heads to seek out insurgents on British special forces' missions

Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk, Monday 8 November 2010 15.33 GMT


Members of the British special forces are being parachuted into Taliban strongholds with dogs who then go in with special video equipment which feeds back images to troops. Photograph: Pnr/PA

One might suspect that these are Malinois and NOT German Shepherds. Malinois are basically 3/4 size Alsatian-family dogs, sometimes, wrongly called Belgian Shepherds by some people.........when I finally retire completely (IF I ever do!) then I'm buying myself one to keep me fit and to rip a new asshole out of anyone dumb enough to invade my space, if I don't get to bludgeon or otherwise damage the tool first............

UK special forces in Afghanistan are parachuting German shepherd dogs with video cameras into Taliban strongholds to search buildings for insurgents, with at least eight animals killed during operations.

The dogs are strapped to the chest of their handlers for the drops, and cameras are attached to their heads to feed back images of buildings and surrounding areas. The tactics have been adapted from US special forces, but the Ministry of Defence said it would not comment on a report on operations by SAS troops.

The dogs are reportedly trained to attack armed people, and eight of them have died in action so far. "But that would be eight SAS men," a source told the Times.

The MoD has an official policy of never commenting on any aspect of any special forces' operation. But that policy has been increasingly undermined by members of the special forces and by comments from ministers and commanders.

As prime minister, Gordon Brown revealed that there were 500 British special forces operating in Afghanistan and Tony Blair praised them in his autobiography, A Journey. General David Petraeus, commander of US and Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, has also praised them.

SAS troops deployed in Iraq, where they were engaged in "kill or capture" missions against al-Qaida insurgents and Saddam Hussein lieutenants, have in the past two years switched to Afghanistan, joining their naval counterparts, the SBS.

They have been carrying out what military sources describe as "decapitation" operations aimed at Taliban commanders in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

British newspapers reported last month that the SAS was killing Taliban fighters in Helmand on an "industrial scale" with a quarter of senior commanders, several hundred, dead since the spring. Petraeus has said UK and US forces were fighting at an unprecedented tempo in Afghanistan. But some military sources warn that the tactics are leading to Taliban commanders being replaced by younger insurgents, who are less likely to be attracted to possible peace deals.

offerings, and encouragement, by the lure of money, to lay down their arms.

Professor Anthony King, of Exeter University who has been embedded with British forces in Helmand, warned in a recent address to the Chatham House thinktank said that though British special forces had played an important role in Afghanistan, "there has been a tendency for them to operate according to their own kill or capture mandate."

He added: "Given their importance, it is essential that they are the topic of public discussion about British military command".

Edited from this point on..............

[buglerbilly]

Dogs Guided Remotely by Stealth System

New tech could turn search dogs into remotely guided super dogs that could take on risky jobs..

By Alyssa Danigelis

Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:49 AM ET

Obviously, the current rig is too large and bulky, but this should reduce to a modified waistcoat eventually................

THE GIST
Researchers at Auburn University created a system to guide detection dogs remotely.

A vest equipped with sensors and gear directs the dog with vibration and tone.

The system could be used for security, combat operations, and to help the disabled.


A custom harness equipped with GPS, sensors, a processor and a radio modem, allows dogs to be directed remotely. Samuel Ginn, Auburn University College of Engineering

Trained dogs are smart enough to find bombs, drugs, people, and the safest way to cross the street -- but only with a capable handler nearby. Now a new system developed at Auburn University could turn canines into remotely guided "super dogs" that can take on risky tasks.

"With our system you don't have to be in eyesight, versus human guides that do have to be within sight," said David M. Bevly, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Auburn University who worked on the research.

In the past, remote guidance research focused on other animals or relied on invasive implanted electrodes to give commands. Instead, Bevly and his team created an external, real-time navigation system for trained dogs.

They designed a custom harness equipped with GPS, sensors, a processor and a radio modem that connects wirelessly to a computer system. The pack vibrates slightly on the left or right side and emits different tones to direct the dog.

Unlike robots, dogs have the innate capability to get past a variety of obstacles, said Paul Waggoner, a senior scientist at the Canine Detection Research Institute who worked on the study. The challenge was to create software that took the dog's natural inclinations into account while guiding him accurately to a destination.

A trained yellow lab named Major tested the system at the university's Canine Detection Research Institute. The results, which were published in the journal Personal Ubiquitous Computing, showed Major had a high success rate when directed to points several hundred meters apart.

In the trials, the dog followed directions accurately 80 percent of the time, and the computer issued correct commands 99 percent of the time.

Next, the team is looking at guiding a dog through more complex tasks, and at greater distances.

"We're looking at longer range guidance, where you might need a dog to go three or four miles," Bevly said.

The system has implications for military, security, and law enforcement operations.

"If I'm trying to locate drugs, I don't necessarily want the cartel know that I'm snooping around," Bevly said. "Maybe the dog is a little less noticeable." Dogs could also be sent to deliver medical aid to soldiers under fire, and a single handler could guide multiple dogs around an airport for inspection.

"You could operate in potentially any setting where you didn't have to have a handler nearby," said Alan Poling, a professor of psychology at Western Michigan University who studies the ability of giant African pouched rats to detect landmines. "It increases the operational capacities."

William Helton, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Canterbury who specializes in canine ergonomics, said the system could help handlers. "If you can track the body movements, you can find out if the dog is stressed or has lost interest in the task."

Waggoner recognizes that some cringe at the thought of putting an animal in harm's way.

"The reality is, a dog is much more capable at avoiding, recovering, and basically retreating from any kind of dangerous situation than a person is," he said. "Often, a person is what's encumbering a dog."

[buglerbilly]

The military hospital dedicated to dogs

An Equipment and Logistics news article

4 Mar 11

As soldiers aren't the only ones who can be injured on operations, the UK has its very own military hospital dedicated to nursing canine casualties back to health.


Lance Corporal Chris Emberson and his dog Pip search beneath a flatbed lorry in Lashkar Gah (stock image)
[Picture: Corporal Steve Wood RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

The Defence Animal Centre in Leicestershire has five vets who treat dogs who have been injured whilst on operations, whether they are suffering from blast injuries or have been shot.

Dogs play an extremely important role alongside British forces, as they are able to sniff out roadside bombs and hidden ammunition stashes, but this also means that they are at risk of being hurt by Taliban fighters or IEDs.

Dogs injured in Afghanistan are flown to Camp Bastion, just like human soldiers.

Captain Tom Roffe-Silvester of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps said:

"We try to get the dogs a space on a helicopter with other casualties. Humans take priority but the dogs are rushed back as soon as they possibly can be and are taken to our small vet unit in Camp Bastion."

Two British vets in Camp Bastion can carry out emergency surgery, stabilising badly injured or sick dogs or treating minor limb injuries, but if longer-term treatment is needed they are flown to a veterinary hospital in Germany or to the Defence Animal Centre.

Last month the Defence Animal Centre treated 189 animals who had been injured in Afghanistan and in the UK.

The centre has eight heated kennels, plus 16 others for dogs with an infectious disease, as well as a hydrotherapy pool for pain relief.

[buglerbilly]

UK Soldier, Dog on Final Mission Together

March 10, 2011

Associated Press



LONDON --- Liam and Theo were a team, fast friends doing a dangerous job - searching out roadside bombs laid by insurgents in Afghanistan.

The jovial British soldier and his irrepressible dog worked and played together for months, and died on the same day. On Thursday they came home together, flown back to Britain in a somber repatriation ceremony for the soldier remembered for his empathy with animals and the companion he loved.

Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker, a dog handler with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Helmand Province on March 1 as he searched for explosives with Theo, a bomb-sniffing springer spaniel cross. The dog suffered a fatal seizure hours later at a British army base.

Military officials won't go so far as to say Theo died of a broken heart - but that may not be far from the truth.

"I think we often underestimate the grieving process in dogs," said Elaine Pendlebury, a senior veterinarian with animal charity PDSA. "Some dogs react very severely to their partner's loss.

"The bonding that I have seen between soldiers or police and their dogs is fantastic. When you see them working together, it's really one unit."

A military Hercules plane carrying the body of Tasker and the ashes of Theo was flying Thursday to a Royal Air Force base in southwest England. The funeral cortege was due to pass through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett, where local people line the streets in a mark of respect each time a dead solder is repatriated. The Ministry of Defense said Theo's ashes would be presented to Tasker's family later at a private ceremony.

Tasker, from Kirkcaldy in Scotland, spent six years as an army mechanic before joining the military working dog unit in 2007. He felt he had found his calling.

"I love my job and working together with Theo," Tasker said in a profile of the pair released by the Ministry of Defense before his death. "He has a great character and never tires. He can't wait to get out and do his job and will stop at nothing."

The 26-year-old soldier and the dog had been in Afghanistan for almost six months, uncovering roadside bombs and weapons in a dusty, dangerous daily routine.

Theo became a bit of a military celebrity last month after the defense ministry released photos and video of him and Tasker to highlight the lifesaving work of military dogs. The footage, now deeply poignant, shows Theo - energetic, ears cocked, tail wagging - alongside Tasker searching a compound for hidden explosives.

The ministry said then that Theo had been so successful, finding 14 hidden bombs and weapons caches, that his tour of duty had been extended by a month.

Tasker was the 358th British soldier to die in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Theo was the sixth British military dog killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.

There are calls for Theo to receive the Dickin medal, which since 1943 has recognized wartime bravery by animals, from carrier pigeons to a World War II commando collie.

The loyalty of some dogs to their human companions is legendary, from Greyfriars Bobby, a 19th century Skye terrier who guarded his master's Edinburgh grave for 14 years, to Hachiko, a Japanese dog who awaited his owner's return at a train station every day for years after the man's death. Both are commemorated with statues.

Tasker's father, Ian, said Theo would have been devastated by Liam's death.

"I truly believe when Theo went back to the kennel, that that would have a big, big impact because Liam wasn't there to comfort him," he told ITV news.

Tasker's uncle, Billy McCord, said the solder had been due to leave Afghanistan soon and worried about being separated from Theo.

"He actually said at one point that when he finished his tour he was not sure what would happen to his dog and that he could be separated from his dog," McCord told the local Courier newspaper in Scotland. "That was preying on his mind, but they are not separated now."

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Aussie Military Dog Awarded Rare Medal

April 05, 2011

Agence France-Presse



A bomb detection dog that spent a year lost in Afghanistan's Taliban heartland Tuesday became only the second Australian military animal to receive the country's most prestigious animal bravery award.

The black Labrador retriever called "Sarbi" was awarded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' purple cross in Canberra, in a ceremony attended by Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie.

"I think there's no doubt that Sarbi has shown an incredible resilience and strength that should be recognised," RSPCA Australia national president Lynne Bradshaw said.

Sarbi, deployed to search for roadside bombs for Australia's Special Forces, went missing in September 2008 when Taliban militants ambushed Australian, US and Afghan forces in Uruzgan province.

Nine people, including her handler, were wounded in the fierce firefight.

The dog was recovered at a remote patrol base in northeastern Uruzgan more than a year later by a US soldier, and had apparently been well cared for during her time in the restive region.

War Memorial spokeswoman Carol Cartwright said Sarbi was only the second animal to get the award for war-related efforts, after the donkey "Murphy", which was used to ferry the wounded from the WWI battlefield of Gallipoli.

RSPCA Australia is a charity that works to prevent cruelty to animals by actively promoting their care and protection.

© Copyright 2011 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Russian Military Working Dogs on the Phone

by christian on April 26, 2011

This isn’t the first time anyone’s done this. We watched dog handlers at Creech trying to do something similar a couple years ago, but it’s interesting to see it done as a dedicated program.

Of course, we really like dogs, so we’d rather they not be put at risk of blowing up. Unfortunately, until they let us put hippies out there taking direction from handlers or EOD instead of canines we don’t have much choice.



Uploaded by agnaldomiyoshisatomi on Apr 9, 2011
9 April 2011 Last updated at 16:34 GMT Help The Russian army has begun training sniffer dogs to use cell phones and video cameras.
The army believes that once they have mastered the gadgets they will be well equipped to help prevent terrorist attacks.
Steve Rosenberg has been to see them.

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/#ixzz1KdQCBqkm
Kit Up!

[buglerbilly]

No, Navy SEAL Dogs Don’t Have Titanium Teeth

By Spencer Ackerman May 5, 2011 | 5:51 pm



Another urban myth destroyed.............:ninja

Military dogs are awe-inspiring creatures, especially when attached to elite troops like the Navy SEALs. All day, the media have been in a frenzy over the fact that a military dog accompanied SEAL Team 6 on its mission to wax Osama bin Laden.

But let’s kill a misleading meme before it spreads further: Navy SEAL dogs don’t have titanium teeth.

A piece in The Daily took a good, detailed sniff around the German shepherds and Belgian Malinois that accompany special operations forces on patrol. But overshadowing all the cool radios and cameras strapped to the dogs is the claim that their “razor-sharp teeth are made of titanium,” at a cost of $2,000 per chomper. Getting bit by them “is like being stabbed four times at once with a bone crusher,” one dog trainer told The Daily. To quote enhanced-grille expert Pall Wall, that got the Internet going nuts.

There’s one problem. If the dogs do have Kanye teeth, it’s a sign something’s wrong with them.

“It would not be possible for them to use titanium teeth to make them even more aggressive,” says Jeff Franklin, owner of Cobra Canine in Virginia Beach. “They’re not as stable as a regular tooth would be, and they’re much more likely to come out” during a biting.

The only reason to have titanium teeth? Medical reasons, he says, like “if a dog breaks a tooth … it’s the same as a crown for a human.”

Franklin should know. Cobra Canine got a $550,000 contract in April from the U.S. Special Operations Command to train military working dogs for Naval Special Warfare Group 2. (He says it’s been “three years” since he’s worked with the very secretive “DevGru,” or Team 6.) That’s a re-up from the past two years, when he’s had contracts for dog training with the command that paid out $470,000 each.

Indeed, the command’s requirements for dog teeth don’t seem to account for the circumstances that would lead to grille enhancements. “All four canine teeth must be present and must not be weakened by notching, enamel hyperplasia or abnormal, excessive wear,” it reads.

In other words, if for some reason you see a SEAL dog with light glistening from its titanium teeth, your proper reaction is pity for the creature. “It’s a detriment, not a help,” Franklin says. On the other hand, if you’re coming into close contact with the jaws of a SEAL’s dog, you’re in for a lot of trouble from his very deadly master.

Photo: Naval Special Warfare Command/Flickr

[buglerbilly]

Canines Sniff Out Threats In War Zones

Nov 4, 2011

By Angus Batey
Camp Bastion, Afghanistan



The counterinsurgency operations conducted by the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan use a number of new weapon systems. Yet there is room for technologies that are long in the tooth—military working dogs (MWD).

Although used in combat for centuries, the profile of military working dogs has risen in recent years. The U.S. began to train dogs in 2005 to work off-leash to detect explosives. In May, a Belgian Malinois named Cairo was involved in Operation Neptune Spear, the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that killed Osama bin Laden.

The U.S. military is not the only force to recognize the utility, potential and efficacy of MWDs. Britain’s investment in canine assets is on the rise, with the opening earlier this year of a training compound at Camp Bastion, and a doubling of air-conditioned kennel space at the base’s Working Dogs Unit.

“Everyone wants a dog,” says Cpl. Richard Marshall, a dog handler with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in Afghanistan. “They’ve seen what they can do and how proven they are out here.”

British dogs in Afghanistan are trained in three roles: AES (arms and explosive search) dogs search buildings and compounds; vehicle-search dogs hunt for weapons and explosives concealed in vehicles ranging from motorbikes to trucks; and protection dogs detain, deter and detect human threats.

Gun-dog breeds such as Labradors and Springer or Cocker spaniels typically carry out search roles while the larger German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois are preferred for protection (though Malinois can also perform search). Protection dogs will “indicate to the handler the presence of an intruder,” says Marshall, and being reasonably big, they’re a deterrent. All dogs are trained to bite. “They can attack with or without the handler’s command.”

Individual temperament rather than breed characteristics decides whether a search dog is better suited to a vehicle or AES role. “An AES dog needs a bit more variety in his life to keep him going,” Marshall explains, “whereas vehicle-search dogs are quite happy doing vehicle after vehicle.”

The advantages are clear. A search dog can complete a check of a truck or compound more quickly and with greater accuracy than a human, and a protection dog gives a patrol an additional point of escalation between a verbal exchange and cocking a weapon.

But there are downsides. While dogs are not unknown in Afghanistan, “as a rule, [Afghans] don’t like dogs,” Marshall notes, so MWDs may not be advisable in a hearts-and-minds operation. Moreover, since the public donates most British military dogs and procurement cost is minimal, training is specialized, protective equipment is necessary, and the added load on a handler is significant.

“The handler has to carry double the water and food of a normal person on patrol, because he’s got the dog to look after as well,” says Marshall. “If you’re going to put a dog on a helicopter, he will need his hearing protected, so you need Mutt Muffs. There are Doggles for his eyes, and boots in case you’re walking over glass or anything like that. We have cooling jackets as well, if they get too hot, though we find they acclimatize as easily as we do.”

Deaths among working dogs are rare—three British dogs have been killed in Afghanistan, as well as two handlers—but injury is an ever-present threat. Handlers have to learn canine first-aid, and try to pass the basics on to fellow patrol members if they are incapacitated and someone else has to assist the animal. There are military veterinarians in theater, but they may not always be at Camp Bastion. In serious incidents, dogs are medevaced with troops and may be operated on by surgeons in the [human] hospital. “They’re very good with us up there,” says Marshall. “We’ve had X-rays and dental work done on the dogs.”

As a result, most animals make it to retirement. The U.K.’s Defense Animal Center maintains a database of people keen to adopt the dogs.

Industry is helping to make dogs more versatile partners. A Canadian company, K9 Storm Inc., supplies vests with different levels of ballistic and stab protection that retail for $2,000-3,000. The company’s latest product is K9 Storm Intruder, a waterproof vest with integrated camera and antenna, enabling video and night-vision footage from a dog to be broadcast to a handler’s monitor.

Photo: Crown Copyright

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Via Soldier Systems blog..............

Mandatory Eye and Ear Pro Means Everyone

February 7th, 2012



This photo, posted on Facebook by the 3rd BCT (Bronco Brigade) 25th ID was provided to them by LTC Lowe, TF Steel commander. It was taken at the FOB Fenty PAX terminal and is of MAJ Timmy, their combat stress dog. He’s setting the example by wearing Eye and Ear pro when he flies. Make sure you wear yours…

Stay Safe guys!

Thanks FormerDirtDart for the tip…