Canine Heroes

Thought for the day:  No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.  [Louis Sabin]

Dogs have almost always been a part of my life.

We may not have had the smartest dogs in the world, or the prettiest, but we always managed to share our home with the sweetest and most loving. And yes, being welcomed home by an excited dog can make you feel rich. And important.

Nothing against our cats... we love 'em to pieces... but they aren't exactly over-the-top "Welcome home; I've missed you soooo much!" kinda critters like dogs are. Their attitudes are more like, (yawn) "What? You were gone...?"

It isn't that our dogs didn't know ANY tricks. Not at all. They did. Our Springer spaniel could catch Frisbees. Really well, too. Most of our dogs were pretty good about conducting their, um,  business outside, too. (Most of the time.) And my grandmother had a beautiful boxer whose awe-inspiring farts spurred people to set personal best speed records in their mad dashes to the exit.

But none of our dogs were ever trained to be performers... like these dogs.

                                                                               

 There are Frisbee-catchers, rope-jumper, and break-dancers (Who knew?)... and then there are Military Working Dogs. Those amazing dogs are in a class all by themselves.

Even though dogs worked alongside soldiers during the Civil War and WWI, they weren't officially inducted into the U.S. Army until 1942. Currently, there are an estimated 2800 active-duty dogs, and about 600 of them are serving  in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the years, these dogs have served honorably and saved many lives, doing everything from sniffing out enemy combatants and hidden explosive devices to ... jumping out of airplanes.

This pic from K9 Storm shows military dog handler Mike Forsythe and his dog Cara jumping from an airplane from a record-breaking height of 30,100 feet. Both of them had to wear oxygen masks to tackle this mind-boggling feat. Military dogs usually jump in tandem with their trainers, but with flotation devices, they can make short jumps into the water on their own.

This picture, from Manual J. Martinez, of the USAF  shows a jump from a Chinook CH-47 during a training exercise over the Gulf of Mexico. This dog is wearing a special flotation device.

MWDs and their handlers are a tightly-knit unit.

Equipped with cameras, these dogs lead the way into danger zones and allow their handlers to see what's ahead before the humans venture forward. Like their human counterparts, these dogs are not only highly trained, but are also highly skilled, and highly motivated.

And just like two-legged soldiers, they also get wounded... and killed... in the line of duty.

[image: Wikimedia Commons]

In 1943, the PDSA, a UK animal welfare group founded in 1917 by Maria Dickin, created the Dickin Award for animals that showed conspicuous bravery in the war. As the medal so aptly says, We also serve. This medal has been awarded to pigeons, horses, one cat, and many dogs, including a couple U.S. Military Working Dogs. (I wonder what the cat did...?)





A couple years ago, the American Humane Society came up with a similar award: the Lois Pope K-9 Medal of Courage.

Named in honor of Lois Pope, a philanthropist and avid veterans' advocate, the first four of these awards were presented to dogs in May of this year.

Nice... but where's the government been all these years? If these valiant and loyal dogs have officially been considered part of the military since 1942, where has the official recognition for their service been?

Oh, you'd better believe the soldiers know about their bravery. All who served with a working dog know how invaluable they are. Some men have pinned their own Purple Hearts to their beloved companions and protectors. One even gave his silver star to a dog for a brief while... until some people started complaining that those awards were for real soldiers... meaning people, of course.

But where was the government? Where was the recognition?

Finally, finally, our dedicated military working dogs may have their own official U.S. Department of Defense commendation.

On August 7, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey announced that his 2016 proposed legislation to create a Guardians of America's Freedom Medal in honor of the dedication and sacrifices of military working dogs had gotten enough votes to pass in Congress. Fittingly, he made the announcement at the War Dogs Memorial in front of a crowd that included four active-duty service dogs and their handlers, and two retired dogs, including Robby, a one-eyed German shepherd with wheels supporting his rear legs.

Four-legged heroes.

Now, all that has to happen is for our president to sign the legislation... and the award to be designed. No telling how long that will take, but ya know? I don't think the dogs mind. They don't do what they do for the medals. They do it for the people... they do it because of their fierce loyalty and sense of protection for the soldiers they serve and love. They're perfectly happy with a pat on the head and a kind word.

                                                And like all dogs,  they know how to wait.


So, how about you? Not that you've ever had a dog who jumped out of airplanes with a parachute, (they can ALL do it WITHOUT one ... but only ONCE) but what nifty tricks could your favorite pooch do?

[Mega thanks you to icanhazcheeseburger.com and perfectlytimedphotos.com for granting me permission to use their pictures.)

                               Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

P.S. Here's the link to an earlier post, if you'd like to read more about military working dogs.