Canine programs expand to save more troops

Canine programs expand to save more troops
But sometimes the dogs are the casualties
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 12, 2011 7:23:57 EDT
U.S. troops in Afghanistan are relying more and more on the superior noses of military working dogs to sniff out deadly improvised explosive devices.

These highly trained dogs landed in the spotlight recently when it was learned that Cairo, a Belgian Malinois, was part of the team that raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. Cairo is the only member of the team to be identified so far, and even President Obama met with the famous dog when he visited Fort Campbell, Ky., to thank the team of special operators after the May raid that led to bin Laden’s death.

YOUR BEST FRIENDS.

A look at military working dog teams:

• 14: Military working dogs that have been killed in action since May 2010

• 6: Dogs wounded in action

• 3: Dogs missing in action

• 725: Military working dog teams deployed in the Central Command area of operations. Of these: 40 are in Iraq. 300 are with civilian contract teams that do only force protection on the U.S. bases and do not patrol. (Source for numbers: Central Command.)

The dogs have proven so valuable that two new programs — one in the Army and the other in the Marine Corps — will be funded for the next two years to put more dogs on the front lines alongside the grunts who patrol Afghanistan’s treacherous hills and valleys.

But the increasing reliance on the abilities of these highly trained dogs also means some dogs will be killed or wounded in the line of duty.

Since May 2010, 14 military working dogs have been killed in action. Six others have been wounded, and three are missing in action, according to Central Command.
read more here