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MWD History
Military Working Dogs have been used by
the U.S. Military since WW
I. The dogs were originally enlisted by the
Quartermaster Corps, and a diversity of breeds where
accepted
Once knowledge and experience was gained the dogs of choice became the German
Shepherd Dog and the Doberman. Due to the nature of work to be accomplished the
Labrador eventually replaced the
Doberman.
The German Shepherd remained the most frequently used dog. These dogs arecommonly referred to as War Dogs; however, the
correct term is Military
Working Dogs. They have saved countless lives and casualties since the beginning of their Military Service and they continue
to do so today.
(It has been estimated that these courageous canine heroes saved over 10,000
lives during the conflict in Vietnam)
Today all branches of our Armed Forces are utilizing Military Patrol Dogs
specializing in Drug and Bomb/Explosive detection. There are approximately
600-700 of these canines in the Middle East in such places as Kuwait,
Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. They are being used to patrol Air Bases,
Military Compounds, Ammunition Depots and Military Check Points. They are
guarding and protecting our Military Personnel as they were trained to do, with
Courage, Loyalty and Honor.
The military states "A Deployed K9 saves a minimum of 3-5 soldiers a day". This is not to include any special circumstances like Dexter. That's a bare minimum of 1095-1825 soldiers a single K9 brings home per year.
For more information, please visit our good friends at US War Dogs.
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