What's it like to serve in the U.S Army Corps of Veterinarians? Picture a "M*A*S*H''-style field tent in a remote or war-torn area. On closer inspection, however, the bleeding patient on the cot is not a typical soldier. It is a military dog, being treated by a veterinarian serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Veterinarians.
This little-known branch of the military comprises about 700 vets on active duty and in the military reserve. Military vets care for more than 1,000 dogs serving in 83 countries, according to Colonel Marc E. Mattix, U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, USAR, DVM, MSS, DACVP. These dogs work for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, Coast Guard and border patrol.
Military working dogs have served heroically, parachuting out of planes in hostile environments, sniffing out explosives, performing search and rescue missions, and acting as sentries at military installations.
What makes a good canine soldier?
Military trainers look for certain characteristics in dogs selected for service. "We look for behavior, aptitude, and intelligence. We look to see if the dog wants to please you -- it's all about the reward,'' Mattix says.
Aggression is not the key factor. "We look for very nice dogs, that on command will chase down people and bite them,'' Mattix says.
Dogs trained to work alongside the Rangers, an elite infantry and special operations unit, have to deal with some of the most hostile environments. "This is the only area female vets are not allowed,'' says Mattix. It is still not legal for female personnel to fight on the front lines.
The military staffs their canine corps from private domestic breeders, European sources, and the breeding program at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio.
Domestic breeders, however, are perceived as less able to deliver the quality or quantity of dogs needed. Top-performing dogs are usually the product of European bloodlines: German shepherds, Belgian shepherds, Dutch shepherds, and the Belgian Malinois. The cost for the U.S. military to buy a dog overseas ranges between $3,000 and $4,000.
In response to heavy demand for four-legged personnel, Army Services Committee member Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) wrote into the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill that the U.S. military move toward buying domestically bred dogs, thereby bolstering the Lackland program, and bringing in European bloodlines for breeding in the United States.
History: the dogs of war
As far back as ancient Greece and Rome, dogs were outfitted with spike collars and trained to attack enemy soldiers. In the Middle Ages, armored dogs protected traveling caravans. In the 20th century, European armies used dogs as sentries, as ambulance dogs, and as decoys to draw fire and reveal enemy positions.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, the only dogs used by the U.S. military were sled dogs assigned to military stations in Alaska. The following year, however, the U.S. military launched the Dogs for Defense program to provide sentry dogs to guard industrial plants and military installations. The program expanded to include roving messenger patrol duty, and additional missions were added, along with advanced training, handlers, and schools.
Today, working dogs are recognized as important partners in times of war and peace, serving at locations across the world.
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