Sydney Kirchenheiter

Mr. Brant

U. S. History

27 April 2018

Military Working Dogs: Impact on War and Handlers

Over hundreds of years warfare tactics have continued to evolve and improve. From spears, to guns, to bombs, to nuclear weapons. These weapons are the deciding factor of outcomes of wars. Win or lose. Life or death. Military working dogs (MWDs), first used by the

United States in World War I, are an example of this evolved and improved warfare. Sometimes these dogs are considered more useful than their handlers or other soldiers because of their heightened senses, tracking ability, loyalty, and ability to go where a soldier cannot. MWDs have served as companions and heroes to soldiers during war and post war, and may have even ultimately impacted the outcomes of wars, such as WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War.

MWDs have taken on a number of roles and duties since they were first introduced in

WWI. Single Purpose Dogs have one purpose, to sniff out explosives or narcotics. These typically consist of the sporting breeds like, retrievers, vizslas, short/wired hair pointers, Jack

Russell terriers, and small poodles.1 Dual-purpose dogs—which are typically German Shepherds,

Belgian Malinois, or Dutch Shepherds—perform patrol/detection work and basic scouting. Multi purpose canines, on the other hand, have multiple abilities: sniff out bombs, do patrol work, scouting, and even go on parachute/rappel operations.2 Other dogs typically specialize in one

1 Goodavage, Soldier Dogs, 56.

2 ibid., p. 55 area. For example, there are separate explosive detector dogs, narcotic detector dogs, tactical explosives detector dogs, patrol narcotics detector dogs, IED detector dogs, and patrol explosives detector dogs.3 There are also specialized search dogs, which are typically the same breeds as the dual-purpose dogs. These work off leash at long distances to find explosives. Combat tracker dogs are also dual-purpose dog breeds and track down the person who stashed the explosives.

Mine detection dogs —Labs, Shepherds, or Malinois are preferred—slowly and steadily search for buried mines and artillery.4 Each dog serves a purpose and that is just to name a few.

Military working dogs serve their handlers in other ways as well, other than just sniffing for explosives and mines etc. Sentry dogs, for example, are the most abundant type. In World

War II 9,300 out of 10,425 dogs trained were used for sentry duty. These dogs warn their handlers by growling or barking, and their heightened senses make them "valuable for working in the dark when attack from cover or the rear is most likely."5 Sentry dogs also guard posts like supply dumps, air ports, and war plants, and provide security against intruders. Scout or patrol dogs have to be the most intelligent and quiet. They are trained to work in silence to help detect snipers, ambushes, and other approaching enemy forces. Instead of barking or growling to warn their handler of danger, scout/patrol dogs stiffen their body and raise their ears to stay quiet.6

The presence of these dogs boost soldier's confidence and lessen danger of ambush, as they can detect the presence of the enemy long before men become aware of them (up to 1,000 yards).

Messenger dogs deliver messages between their two handlers and learn to "travel silently and

3 ibid., p. 56

4 ibid., p. 56

5 Aiello, "War Dog History," US War Dog Association | National Headquarters.

6 ibid., p. 1 take advantage of natural cover when moving between the two handlers."7 Tunnel dogs were used by the U.S. especially in Vietnam to explore the tunnels the enemy traveled. One very important group of dogs on the battle field are casualty dogs. They are trained to search and report casualties lying in unknown places.8 Minutes saved by these dogs reporting injuries that soldiers otherwise would not discover could be minutes between life and death. These abilities came in handy for the U. S. during the First World War, through the service of at least one dog.

During WWI America was the only country lacking the assistance of military dogs. They thought bringing dogs in would be unnecessary because the war would quickly be over, but they were wrong. Luckily for America, a small stray pit bull wandered onto their base one night when the soldiers were training in Connecticut. The pit bull, given the name Stubby, stuck and served for eighteen months and in seventeen battles on the western front.9 Stubby was an unintended, yet incredibly important asset to the U.S. Military during WWI. During his duties, Stubby "saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, located and comforted the wounded, and even once caught a German spy by the seat of his pants."10 Stubby is one of the most famous Military dogs in history, not only for being the first American MWD, but also for his loyal devotion and heroic actions that saved a number of lives during the war. Stubby set a precedent for America's first military dog program formed through the encouragement of owners across the country to

7 ibid., p. 1

8 ibid., p. 1

9 ibid., p. 1

10 Beauregard, "Stubby the War Dog: The True Story of World War I's Bravest Dog," Biography In Context. donate their pets to the war effort.11 After witnessing Stubby's success in WWI and the creation of the program, the use of military dogs took off going into WWII.

As World War II began, the acute senses, docility, watchfulness, speed, and affection of dogs were appreciated in the military. Ten thousand military dogs served as loyal soldiers throughout the war as their roles continued to expand. The Southwest Pacific reported on experiments conducted with scout and messenger dogs concluding that they were "highly favorable" and would serve great purposes in war. Messenger dogs proved that they could cover long distances with great speed over any kind of terrain as they warned patrols of the presence of

Japanese up to 1,000 yards away.12

The very first Marine Dog Platoon was deployed to Bougainville in the fall of 1943, attached to the Second Marine Raider Regiment.13 Caesar, a German Shepherd, was one of the dogs that made up the platoon, and perhaps the most well known. Caesar proved the importance of a dogs role in war several times during WWII. He served as a messenger back and forth between his handlers when walkie talkies would not work during heavy rain and while snipers fired at them. Reports even state that Caesar saved his handler from a grenade attack.14 The

Marine Dog Platoon was a major success in Bougainville. The dogs made it impossible for the enemy to make surprise attacks at night or enter their camps undetected. The Marine Raider

Regiment wrote that, "not one marine was killed while in a marine patrol led by a dog". In fact,

11 Goodavage, Soldier Dogs, 56.

12 Aiello, "War Dog History," US War Dog Association | National Headquarters.

13 Frankel, "Dogs at War: Caesar," National Geographic.

14 ibid., p. 1 only four did not return (two dogs out of twenty-five and their 2 handlers out of 55 men).15 The number of men killed during this expedition could have been much larger without the assistance of these dogs.

Smoky is another famous MWD that served in WWII. Smoky was a Yorkshire Terrier, people would think to be too small to serve any purpose on the battlefield, but in reality she prevented the deaths of hundreds of men. The Japanese planes were constantly attacking the

Americans which affected communication. American commanders urgently needed to run telephone wires through a pipe line that "stretched roughly seventy feet underground from the base to three separate squadrons, but they lacked the proper equipment" because the diameter of the pipe was only eight inches.16 They would have had to of fed the wire through by hand, but that would have been exposing men to the constant enemy attacks. So, they sent smoky through the pipe with kite string tied to her collar and the string could then be used to thread the wires through the pipe. Smoky established the network connection and was credited with saving the lives of some 250 men and forty planes.17 With the help of one small Yorkshire Terrier, the U. S. was put one step closer toward a victory in the Second World War.

Before the Vietnam War, dogs had to be physically examined before being accepted into the military and assigned to a position. Each dog was observed and tested to determine which area of training they would be assigned. If the dog was aggressive they were assigned to a sentry unit. If the dog was less aggressive but still very smart, like Shepherds, they went to scout the

15 ibid., p. 1

16 Frankel, "Dogs at War: Smoky," National Geographic.

17 ibid., p. 1 school. While Labs just went straight to tracker training because of their amazing nose.18 Every dog accepted was highly intelligent and they were used for everything from base security to detecting ambushes to hunting down fleeing enemy units.

Richard Cunningham, a member of the 212th Military Police Sentry Dog Company, served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 with his German Shepherd sentry dog Smokey. Smokey was responsible for protecting the Tay Ninh Base Camp and the ammunition dump, and detecting, attacking, and tracking the enemy.19 While in Vietnam, handlers and their dogs were used in search and destroy missions, which warned of an ambush long before most of the unit was in danger. The dog was an important part to this mission because according to Cunningham,

"the handler could determine the distance to the danger, usually by the degree of his dog's state of 'alert'. Then, instead of walking into the Vietcong trap, he could call in fire or air support to obliterate the enemy position."20 A dog's heightened senses are extremely useful in expeditions like this. For example, a human nose has only five million scent receptors, while Shepherds have

225 million, allowing them to detect explosives and track much better than their handler ever could. Cunningham told the New York Times that all of their dogs had lived with their

"American smells" for years, and the scent of the Vietnamese was very different and much easier to pick up and alert on.21 In addition, dogs can hear four times further than humans and can detect movement much faster and accurately. Mine and booby trap dogs detected booby traps with tiny wires practically invisible to the human eye. This allowed the soldiers to inactivate the

18 Cunningham, "The Dogs," New York Times.

19 ibid., p. 1

20 ibid., p. 1

21 ibid., p. 1 traps and prevent a large portion of American infantry casualties.22 Richard Cunningham, sentry dog handler, says he "heard it said that without our military dogs, there would be 10,000 additional names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall."23 However, he personally thinks

10,000 is an understatement.

Military working dogs do not just save lives on the battlefield, they also save the lives of soldiers struggling from PTSD. About twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day. The physical wounds of war, like a broken bone or a deep gash, heal. It is the invisible wounds after war that are most dangerous. The memories of war haunt veterans for the rest of their lives, and it is hard to escape the way it makes them feel. However, therapeutic MWDs offer a companion and psychiatric service to veterans struggling with PTSD. In fact, the mere act of just petting a dog (or cat) has been proven to reduce stress. Smoky, the MWD hero from WWII, also served therapeutically for her handler, Bill Wynne, when he got sick and was taken to the 233rd station hospital.24 Smoky slept with Wynne at night and in the morning would comfort other patients at the hospital. She had a powerful effect on the soldiers around Wynne, as she lightened the mood with with her presence and personality. After Wynne recovered he taught tricks to Smoky to entertain patients. Smoky performed these tricks—play dead, walk a tight rope, ride a handmade scooter, and spell her own name with large cut out letters—at hospitals. Her handler reported to

National Geographic that there was a complete change when he and Smoky came into the room.

Smoky was a "complete diversion" for wounded soldiers. She was "something to pull them away

22 ibid., p. 1

23 ibid., p. 1

24 Frankel, "Dogs at War: Smoky," National Geographic. from what ailed them; something they could await with happy anticipation."25 Furthermore,

Smoky was not the only healing presence after WWII. At an Air Force convalescent home in

Pawling, New York, the medical staff witnessed a dog completely change a reluctant patient's mental outlook. And after that, they brought more dogs into the hospital and eventually built a kennel there to shelter them all.26 Psychiatric service dogs are trained to wake their owner from nightmares and to block the space between them and another person.27 Dogs alone simply provide companionship to soothe a panicking vet and provide a reason for them to get out of the house (if only for walks).

K9s for Warriors is one of dozens of private organizations that provide "psychiatric service" dogs to address the military's mental health crisis and enable vets to function in society.

Rory Diamond, chief executive of K9s for Warriors, reported, "the numbers are startling on veteran suicides, and this is working."28 Research from a study out of Purdue University proves that dogs save lives. The research concluded that the half of the 141 K9s for Warriors applicants teamed with a service dog showed significant lower levels of post traumatic stress, depression, and social isolation, with higher levels of psychiatric well-being than the half on a wait list for dogs. One K9s for Warriors graduate explained the phenomenal feeling of being able to go to a store and not just hate it and drop everything and walk out.29 This sense of purpose for veterans

25 ibid., p. 1

26 ibid., p. 1

27 Brulliard, "For Military," 1.

28 ibid., p. 1

29 ibid., p. 1 is crucial and it is the dog's undying loyalty and companionship that can turn a struggling vet's perspective around.

Another perfect example of the outstanding effect dogs have on veterans can be seen through a 31 year-old former Army Specialist from California, Robert Soliz. Before turning to the Palo Alto V. A. Medical Center, Soliz was isolated from his family and could not show affection, even towards his kids.30 Paws for Purple Hearts, the program Soliz credits with saving his life, is one of four experimental programs nationwide that pair traumatized veterans with

Labs and Golden Retrievers.31 Experiments conducted by this program conclude that, "the animals draw out even the most isolated personality, and having to praise the animals helps traumatized veterans overcome emotional numbness." Patients' ability to overcome the struggle to communicate, being assertive but not aggressive, is developed by teaching the dogs service commands.32 Psychiatric service dogs give traumatized veterans a sense of purpose, and companionship, and allow them to finally get some sleep knowing that an alert soul is standing watch. These dogs deserve to be recognized for all that they do for their handlers and the country.

And they are!

The U. S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument, located at the Lackland Air

Force Base in San Antonio, Texas (which is where most military dogs and their handlers are trained), pays tribute to the Dog Handlers and their military dog partners. Although other war dog memorials exist, this is the only one recognized at the "National Monument" level.33 The

30 Colin, "How Dogs," 1.

31 ibid., p. 1

32 ibid., p. 1

33 Slater, "U.S. Military," Paula Slater, M. A. monument, sculpted by Paula Slater, depicts a military handler and the four MWD breeds—a

Doberman Pinscher, Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, and Belgian Malinois.34 Slater believes that if she has done her job right, the sculptures will be a reminder of the "immensely important role, the dog handler and his working dog partner have played in peace-time-rescues and war time heroism."35 This monument is so important because it is a National Monument, for everyone in the nation, the public, and the world to see the impact MWDs have on them. Slater said, "It is filled with history and bravery and heroism. This National Monument was a story that needed to be told in bronze and granite. It is a story of man and animal working together for the good, dedicated to saving lives."36 The fact that the honoring of these dogs is brought to a national level emphasizes the appreciation the U. S. has for their service and the importance of their loyalty, companionship, and bravery.

Ever since Stubby was first introduced to the United States during WWI, military working dogs have impacted the nation for the better. They save lives. The duties that dogs can take on are endless, and their heightened senses make them even more useful. Without MWDs

10,000 more names would be on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, which could have resulted in a completely different outcome. Without MWDs veteran suicide rates would be higher.

Without MWDs more lives would be lost than any one would imagine. The appreciation and recognition of these four legged companions is well deserving. For over a century military

34 ibid., p. 1

35 ibid., p. 1

36 ibid., p. 1 working dogs have served as heroes and companions throughout wars and after wars and may have even changed the outcomes of them along the way. Bibliography

Aiello, Ron. "War Dog History." US War Dog Association | National Headquarters. Last modified April 3, 2017. Accessed February 3, 2018. https://www.uswardogs.org id10.html.

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By, K. K. (1988, Dec 16). The Dogs of War They Can Save Scores of Lives. '. Jerusalem Post Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/320904687?accountid=460

Brulliard, Karin. "For Military Veterans Suffering PTSD, are Service Dogs Good Therapy?" The Washington Post, March 27, 2018. Accessed April 2, 2018.https:// www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/for-military-veterans-suffering-from- ptsd-are-service-dogs-good-therapy/2018/03/27/23616190-2ec1-11e8-b0b0- f706877db618_story.html?utm_term=.5234f3e25d79.

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Slater, Paula B. "U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Memorial." Paula Slater, M. A. Accessed April 25, 2018. https://paulaslater.com