Posted on Sep 19, 2014
Military dogs are termed as mere “equipment” in laws and policies
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Not only do men and women go through great lengths to serve and protect our country, but dogs do too. However, military dogs are termed as mere “equipment” in laws and policies. Military dogs must be treated as soldiers, especially since their lives are put on the line to save others.
Military Working Dogs (MWD) are specifically trained to sniff bombs, protect their own bases and identify the locations of the enemy. This kind of work is dangerous and traumatic for a living, breathing being. During active service, a dog’s rank is considered higher than its handler’s. However, all of this is put aside once the dog becomes too old or irrelevant. The same dog is then declared unnecessary equipment, which can be left behind--often at foreign bases.
This is wrong. The bond between a dog and its handler is very strong. They are practically comrades. The dog protects its handler and other soldiers during crossfire. You can leave behind equipment, but you can never leave behind a comrade! Military dogs should be reclassified as manpower or K-9 service members. That way, they will return their country with the armed forces. In the Vietnam War, the U.S. military included 4900 dogs, and only 1600 made it back after the war ended.
Military dogs are not left behind in war zones anymore. Bill Clinton passed a law in 2000 that allows civilians, former handlers and law enforcement agencies to adopt retired MWDs. However, this bill didn’t reclassify war dogs. Representative Walter Jones (R-NC) submitted a bill back in 2012 that would reclassify MWDs as K-9 members of the military, called Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act. Unfortunately, in the process of incorporating the bill in the larger National Defense Authorization Act for 2013, a key part of reclassifying military dogs was left out.
The armed forces do respect all MWDs. Service members who are handlers cannot imagine their dogs as equipment and would never intentionally leave them behind. But the moment an MWD retires, it is considered equipment and is not transported back to headquarters. The dogs left behind at a foreign base can be adopted by a U.S. civilian, but the civilian would then have to pay for the monumental shipping costs. This discourages people from adopting war dogs.
The Air Force is making a policy change that would no longer classify MWDs as gear, but changes still need to be made across the services. We are making progress, but it's taking quite some time. MWDs do nothing less than serve our nation and military. They have every right to be reclassified as service members. If the military can transport MWDs overseas, then MWDs should be brought back as well.
What is your experience with dogs in the military? How should they be reflected in laws and military policies?
Military Working Dogs (MWD) are specifically trained to sniff bombs, protect their own bases and identify the locations of the enemy. This kind of work is dangerous and traumatic for a living, breathing being. During active service, a dog’s rank is considered higher than its handler’s. However, all of this is put aside once the dog becomes too old or irrelevant. The same dog is then declared unnecessary equipment, which can be left behind--often at foreign bases.
This is wrong. The bond between a dog and its handler is very strong. They are practically comrades. The dog protects its handler and other soldiers during crossfire. You can leave behind equipment, but you can never leave behind a comrade! Military dogs should be reclassified as manpower or K-9 service members. That way, they will return their country with the armed forces. In the Vietnam War, the U.S. military included 4900 dogs, and only 1600 made it back after the war ended.
Military dogs are not left behind in war zones anymore. Bill Clinton passed a law in 2000 that allows civilians, former handlers and law enforcement agencies to adopt retired MWDs. However, this bill didn’t reclassify war dogs. Representative Walter Jones (R-NC) submitted a bill back in 2012 that would reclassify MWDs as K-9 members of the military, called Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act. Unfortunately, in the process of incorporating the bill in the larger National Defense Authorization Act for 2013, a key part of reclassifying military dogs was left out.
The armed forces do respect all MWDs. Service members who are handlers cannot imagine their dogs as equipment and would never intentionally leave them behind. But the moment an MWD retires, it is considered equipment and is not transported back to headquarters. The dogs left behind at a foreign base can be adopted by a U.S. civilian, but the civilian would then have to pay for the monumental shipping costs. This discourages people from adopting war dogs.
The Air Force is making a policy change that would no longer classify MWDs as gear, but changes still need to be made across the services. We are making progress, but it's taking quite some time. MWDs do nothing less than serve our nation and military. They have every right to be reclassified as service members. If the military can transport MWDs overseas, then MWDs should be brought back as well.
What is your experience with dogs in the military? How should they be reflected in laws and military policies?
MWD: Military Working Dog
Dogs
Command Post
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 63
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Canines are still canines. They are not people, they won't be reading any regs about their classifications.
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You all know US Military working dogs are NOT left behind in country.. have not been that way for many, many years.
Yes it's true, back in the post Vietnam days and before, there were discarded in country... But that has long since changed. They all come home.
The DoD has 100% accountability over every MWD in the program. Please also know that it is false that contractors who are on a DoD Contract Working Dog (CWD) contract are leaving dogs behind. The contracts require those dogs to be returned to the contractor upon completion of the contract.
There were claims of contractors not following published guidelines, or having an unusually high number of "natural" cause deaths for their dogs.. but that as they say another story.
Yes it's true, back in the post Vietnam days and before, there were discarded in country... But that has long since changed. They all come home.
The DoD has 100% accountability over every MWD in the program. Please also know that it is false that contractors who are on a DoD Contract Working Dog (CWD) contract are leaving dogs behind. The contracts require those dogs to be returned to the contractor upon completion of the contract.
There were claims of contractors not following published guidelines, or having an unusually high number of "natural" cause deaths for their dogs.. but that as they say another story.
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I can see I'm in a minority, or perhaps a silent majority. I do not see a trained pet as a comrade. I do not see a dog, cat, dolphin, horse, butterfly or a slug as a comrade or brother. They are pets even if trained pets. They react instinctively and as instructed. You can train them to be war dogs or lap dogs. I love the pets I've had and always will have fond memories of them. But, to suggest they are the same as my brothers and sisters is "unusually sensitive", in my opinion. I have never understood law enforcement upping penalties for injuring or killing a K9 to be the same as those imposed for a human. I never will. Thankfully in this country, the majority rules, but were it otherwise, I if able would abolish such laws.
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SGM Erik Marquez
MSgt Charles Johnson I respectfully disagree with your statement position, opinion. You have every right have your opinion of course, no matter how disrespectful and ignorant I believe it to be.
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SGT (Join to see)
Ok, let's just say we agree to disagree. You have your opinion and I have mine. But, you stated to me it's nobody's business what you think or what you have done, yet there are six comments made by you trying to explain why you feel the way you do. I've been bitten by several dogs. If you piss them off their going to bite you. So you go your way and I'll go mine, and move on to something else we can differ about. What say you?
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MSgt Charles Johnson
CPO? Your getting personal? You don't even know me. I suggest you apologize for that.
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