U.S. Congress Moves To Protect Military Dogs

Measure To Protect Retired Military Dogs Clears Congress (Video) -- KPBS

Dogs who serve in the United States military would be ensured a good home and proper care in retirement under a measure that cleared Congress last week, and now awaits the signature of President Barack Obama.

The measure was attached as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. It would re-classify military working dogs as members of the armed forces, rather than military equipment, and allow military working dogs who are not able to be adopted in retirement to be sent to 341st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio to live.

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My Comment: Long overdue. The video tribute above is also a must see.

The Relationship Between A Battlefield Bomb-Tech And His Dog

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The Relationship Between A Battlefield Bomb-Tech And His Dog Is Unlike Anything Else In The World -- Business Insider

Army Specialist John Nolan’s heart pounded as he stared into the wadi in central Afghanistan. He wasn’t sure what lay beneath the loose, granular dirt.

Was there a 500-pound bomb buried beneath him? If that thing detonated, he would be dead.

Maybe there were some homemade explosive or land mines? If they exploded right now, he might live. He might not.

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My Comment: Another great dog story is here.

They Do It For The Tennis Balls

Photo: Fetching … handler Lance-Corporal Nathan Cooper and his trusty companion, Wilber. Colin Cosier

Barking Mad: Bomb-Dogs Have A Ball Sniffing Out Trouble For Troops -- Sydney Morning Herald

WILBER the border collie doesn't know he has a dangerous job; for him it's all a game. Finding the hidden bombs he's trained to sniff out of the ground means only one thing: tennis balls.

An army explosive detection dog, Wilber has been deployed to Afghanistan and his reward for finding something is playing with a tennis ball.

His handler, Lance-Corporal Nathan Cooper, says the selection criteria for a bomb-dog is based around their retrieval drive.

"They think it's a game, they're looking for a ball, and once they smell that explosive they'll respond to that, they'll sit and the ball will come from somewhere. Out of nowhere, they think the whole world is full of tennis balls potentially," Corporal Cooper says.

They also can't be gun shy.

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My Comment: Truly a soldier`s best friend.

When 'Top Dogs' Meet At The Pentagon

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his dog Bravo with Chesty in May. Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/Department of Defense

Tongues Are Wagging After Snub of Pentagon's Top Dog Leads to Marine Corps Promotion -- Wall Street Journal

Some Say Chesty's Conduct With Defense Secretary's Golden Retriever Was Unbecoming; Pats From the Commandant

WASHINGTON—The Marines won't say it out loud, but everyone knows that Cpl. Chesty got promoted to sergeant this summer not for being a good Marine, but for his in-your-muzzle confrontation with the top dog in the Pentagon.

Just two weeks before his promotion, the Marine Corps mascot, an English bulldog formally known as Chesty XIII, had a run-in with Bravo, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's golden retriever. Chesty, usually known for happily mugging for photos with kids, revealed his inner grunt when he spotted the larger dog at the conclusion of a pomp-filled military parade held in honor of the Pentagon chief. Chesty growled, barked and ignored his choke-chain of command as he went nose-to-nose with Bravo.

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My Comment: I can hear all the Marine jokes right now.

I MEF K-9 Afghanistan

My Comment: I hate the music for this vid .... but some of the pics and videos in it are cool.