tenHUT! Good Doggie.

[Stinky The Clown]

When we need them, they're always there. Always. Hearts like lions and souls like angels.

Good doggie.

Specially-Trained Dogs Help Marines Sniff Out IED's

As part of our continuing coverage of "Afghanistan: the Road Ahead," - CBS News correspondent Terry McCarthy follows the Third Battalion, First Marines at home, and abroad in Afghanistan.

KOSHTAY, AFGHANISTAN--

Lance Corporal Jordan Ridder never owned a dog when he was a boy. But he always liked dogs, and there were plenty around the neighborhood.

Left, dog handler Lance Corporal Jordan Ridder and Tigger in Koshtay, Afghanistan.

So when he joined the Marine Corps and they told him they were looking for dog handlers as part of a new program - a program designed to save Marines' lives - he applied, and was accepted.

The biggest threat to U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan - as in Iraq - is from IEDs, improvised explosive devices. To counter IEDs the military uses metal detectors, ground penetrating radar, electronic jamming signals, mine rollers attached to the front of vehicles and pretty much anything else they can think of that might be an effective counter-measure. Now comes a four-footed addition to the fight against IEDs - specially-trained dogs who can sniff out explosives under the ground before a Marine gets close to the danger zone.

>snip<

More here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20005113-503543.html

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Military dogs have saved countless lives....because they are loyal, brave and

smart.

My heart aches for all those that have been lost....innocently doing their job...not having the slightest idea that their lives were at risk.

http://www.uswardogs.org/


http://militaryworkingdogmemorial.com/


http://www.eagleid.com/veterans/dogs.htm

It is hoped through this message that these dogs will be remembered and appreciated for the services they provided for our armed forces and to our country. Please copy and forward this page or address to as many dog lovers as you can so that these canine heroes are not forgotten. I am proud to be a retired veteran and I and those veterans that I have personally contacted don't consider a memorial to these heroic canines as demeaning to veterans. These dogs deserve more... much more. Doug Foote - Webmaster

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_wardogs_memorials.php


http://www.nationalwardogsmonument.org/


http://www.war-dogs.com/

About War Dogs

"He latched onto my hand. He gave me a friendly nip on the hand and looked at me. Wolf absolutely would not let me go by him. I looked straight ahead and not more than two feet was a tripwire. And I would have died right there with him if he wouldn't have found that wire." - Charlie Cargo, Vietnam dog handler

"These dogs deserve more and have the right to be honored and treated like any other American that served in Vietnam. Unlike other soldiers, and the dogs that served in other wars, these dogs never received medals or any other kind of recognition for their heroic efforts. America has never sufficiently thanked these dogs, and this documentary finally gives us the opportunity." - Jeffrey P. Bennett, co-executive producer of "War Dogs, America's Forgotten Heroes," and founder, president and CEO of Nature's Recipe Pet Foods.


What is "War Dogs" all about?

The "War Dogs, America's Forgotten Heroes" documentary, which was seen on the Discovery Channel, was produced to educate America about the war dogs and the pivotal role they played in the Vietnam War. It tells the heart-wrenching story of the bond between the dogs and their handlers and the great lengths they each took to save one another from the tragedies of war. It also recounts less than 200 of these valiant dogs returned to America at the close of the war, and how none of them were honored.

The documentary, produced by GRB Entertainment, was funded largely in part by Nature's Recipe Pet Foods. Donating countless hours to the effort to make this documentary a reality, Jeffrey Bennett, Nature's Recipe Pet Foods founder, president and CEO, served as the film's co-executive producer in bringing this compelling story to the American people.

http://mwdtsa.org/
Support Our Military Working Dog Teams!
Our MISSION

Our mission includes, but is not limited to:

* Supporting Current Dog Handler Teams
* Supporting Veteran Dog Handler events/causes
* Supporting retired Military Working Dogs
* Supporting the War Dog Memorial

[Stinky The Clown]

2. ". . . . . not having the slightest idea that their lives were at risk."

Amen.

:hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

3. That is the part that always brings tears to my eyes....

They were all so innocent...

[Warpy]

4. Oh, I think they know

even though they pick things up chemically instead of with language. They do pick them up, more than we ever think they will.

For the dog, the pack is primary and his own life is completely subordinate to it. The dog's human partners are his pack. He probably knows his life is being risked. He just thinks it's worth it.