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MWD: Military Working Dogs
Not only Military personnel but also mans best friend are to be honored on Memorial Day. They have been used in the military for decades.
For many people the moment you think “military dog” you envision a German Shepherd Dog or Doberman patrolling a barbed wire fence and barking fiercely when confronted by the enemy. But there are many breeds used and they have performed a wide range of tasks in military service and often those jobs require completely opposite tasks and behaviors.
While Sentry dogs are taught to walk alongside their guard or handler and warn by growling or barking at approaching strangers, a Scout dog is trained to work silently so that they can detect and alert their handler to snipers, enemy presence, and ambushes.
A Messenger dog carries information between handlers, while Mine Dogs are trained to detect both metallic and non-metallic land-mines as well as booby traps and trip wires.
Casualty dogs are war-time search and rescue who can quickly locate injured soldiers, while Tunnel dogs have been used to explore the confines of underground spaces to seek out enemy forces and alert handlers.
And lastly, Explosives Detection dogs have been specifically trained to pick up on the scent of the chemicals used in bombs and alert their handler.
As you can see, there are quite a wide range of tasks for military service dogs these days. That requires a wide variety of breeds who can deliver on those tasks. Not all breeds are suitable for all tasks but the ones that are, are excellent at what they do. We salute them as well.
A Naval Petty Officer pictured here with his MWD “Rico” at the War Dog Cemetery located on the Guam Naval Base.