Dogs in warfare

File:History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria (1903) (14783417153).jpg and the Greeks, as depicted on a Pontic plate: Cimmerian cavalry and their war dogs fighting against Greek hoplites]]

War dogs were used by the Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Sarmatians, Baganda, Alans, Slavs, Britons, and Romans.{{cite web |access-date=2008-11-25

|url=http://www.k9history.com/

|title=K-9 History: The Dogs of War!

|last=Newton|first=Tom

|publisher=Hahn's 50th AP K-9}}{{cite news |access-date=2008-11-26

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1915/02/21/archives/dogs-of-war-in-european-conflict-egyptians-and-romans-employed-them.html

|title=Dogs of War in European Conflict; Egyptians and Romans Employed Them in Early Warfare – Battle Dogs in 4000 B.C

|date=February 21, 1915 |page=S3

|work=The New York Times}}

Among the Greeks and Romans, dogs served most often as sentries or patrols, though they were sometimes taken into battle.E.S. Forster, "Dogs In Ancient Warfare," Greece & Rome 10 (1941) 114–117. The earliest use of war dogs in a battle recorded in classical sources was by Alyattes of Lydia against the Cimmerians around 600 BC. The Lydian dogs killed some invaders and routed others.Polyaenus, Stratagems 7.2; Forster, "Dogs in Ancient Warfare," p. 114. At the Battle of Pelusium (525 BC), Cambyses II deployed dogs, cats, and other animals held sacred by the Egyptians. By putting these animals on the front lines, he was supposedly able to get the Egyptians to cease using their projectile weaponry.Forster, E. S. (1941). Dogs in Ancient Warfare. Greece & Rome, 10(30), 114–117. http://www.jstor.org/stable/641375

During the Late Antiquity, Attila the Hun used large war dogs in his campaigns. Gifts of war dog breeding stock between European royalty were seen as suitable tokens for exchange throughout the Middle Ages. Other civilizations used armoured dogs to defend caravans or attack enemies.

In the Far East, 15th-century Vietnamese Emperor Lê Lợi raised a pack of over 100 hounds, tended and trained by Nguyễn Xí, whose skills were impressive enough to promote him to the commander of a shock troop regiment.{{Cite web | title = Tướng Việt được ví như Khổng Minh, lấy hàng vạn tên của giặc | url = https://znews.vn/tuong-viet-duoc-vi-nhu-khong-minh-lay-hang-van-ten-cua-giac-post727561.html | publisher = Zing.vn | first = Thanh Điệp | last = Nguyễn | date = 11 March 2017 | access-date = 14 September 2018 | archive-date = 20 January 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200120214007/https://news.zing.vn/tuong-viet-duoc-vi-nhu-khong-minh-lay-hang-van-ten-cua-giac-post727561.html | url-status = live }}

Later on, Frederick the Great of Prussia used dogs as messengers during the Seven Years' War with Russia. Napoleon also used dogs during his campaigns. Dogs were used until 1770 to guard naval installations in France.Handy, William F., et al. (1961: p. 328). “The K-9 Corps: The Use of Dogs in Police Work.” The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, vol. 52, no. 3, Northwestern University School of Law, 1961, pp. 328–337, {{doi|10.2307/1141120}}.

The first official use of dogs for military purposes in the U.S. was during the Seminole Wars. Hounds were used in the American Civil War to protect, send messages, and guard prisoners.[http://iagenweb.org/washington/books/dungan/hist19thvi_viii.htm History of the 19th Iowa Infantry; Hounds in the American Civil War] – Chapter VII, p. 109; Retrieved 2014-05-31 General Grant recounts how packs of Southern bloodhounds were destroyed by Union troops wherever found due to their being trained to hunt runaway slaves before the war.Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant p. 381, par. 1 Dogs were also used as mascots in American WWI propaganda and recruiting posters.{{Cite book|title = War Dogs|last = Frankel|first = Rebecca|publisher = St. Martin's Press|year = 2016|location = New York|isbn=9781250112286}}{{page needed|date=March 2024}}

File:Dennison-building-dog.jpg, September 2009]]

Dogs have been used in warfare by many civilizations. As warfare has progressed, their purposes have changed greatly.{{cite book | title=I cani in guerra. Da Tutankhamon a Bin Laden | publisher=Oasi Alberto Perdisa | author=Todaro, Giovanni | year=2011 | isbn=978-88-8372-513-5 | language=it}}

• Mid-seventh century BC: In the war waged by the Ephesians against Magnesia on the Maeander, their horsemen were each accompanied by a war dog and a spear-bearing attendant. Dogs were released first and broke the enemy ranks, followed by an assault of spears, then a cavalry charge.Aelian, Varia Historia 14.46; Forster, "Dogs in Ancient Warfare," p. 115. An epitaph records the burial of a Magnesian horseman named Hippaemon with his dog Lethargos, his horse, and his spearman.P.A.L. Greenhalgh, Early Greek Warfare: Horsemen and Chariots in the Homeric and Archaic Ages (Cambridge University Press, 1973, 2010), p. 145.
• 525 BC: At the Battle of Pelusium, Cambyses II used a psychological tactic against the Egyptians, arraying dogs and other animals in the front line to effectively take advantage of the Egyptian religious reverence for animals.Polyaenus, Stratagems 7.9; Forster, "Dogs in Ancient Warfare," p. 114.
• 490 BC: At the Battle of Marathon, a dog followed his hoplite master into battle against the Persians and was memorialized in a mural.Aelian, On the Nature of Animals 7.38.
• 480 BC: Xerxes I of Persia was accompanied by vast packs of Indian hounds when he invaded Greece. They may have served in the military and were possibly being used for sport or hunting, but their purpose is unrecorded.Herodotus, Histories 7.187; Forster, "Dogs in Ancient Warfare," p. 115.
• 281 BC: Lysimachus was slain during the Battle of Corupedium and his body was discovered preserved on the battlefield and guarded vigilantly by his faithful dog.Williams, Henry Smith. Historians History of the World (Volume 4), p. 505.
• 231 BC: Roman consul Marcus Pomponius Matho led the Roman legions through the inland of Sardinia. The inhabitants engaged in guerrilla warfare, against the invaders. The Romans used "dogs from Italy" to hunt down the natives who tried to hide in the caves.Zonara,'Epitomé historíon' VIII 19 P. I 401; E. Pais, 'Storia della Sardegna e della Corsica durante il periodo romano' I, 154 (in 'Bibliotheca Sarda' n. 42).
• 1500s: Mastiffs and other large breeds were used extensively by Spanish conquistadors against Native Americans.J.G. Varner and J.J. Varner, Dogs of the Conquest (University of Oklahoma Press, 1983)
• 1700–1800s: Dogs were used in slave societies in the Caribbean, North America and Brazil.Tyler D Parry, Charlton W Yingling, [https://academic.oup.com/past/article/246/1/69/5722095 Slave Hounds and Abolition in the Americas], Past & Present, Volume 246, Issue 1, February 2020, pp. 69–108
• 1902 Dogs of war were used by the Argentine Republic in Patagonia "for the colonization of the bottom of the country, a raid was made against these poor harmless children of nature, and many tribes were wiped out of existence. The Argentines let loose the dogs of war against them; many were killed and the rest—men, women and children—were deported by sea".{{Cite book |title=Congresso nacional de Historia sobre la Conquista del desierto |last=Canclini |first=Arnoldo |publisher=Academia Nacional de la Historia (Argentina) |year=1980 |page=95 |language=Spanish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUMaAAAAYAAJ&q=%E2%80%9CLa%20conquista%20espiritual:%20el%20aporte%20protestante%E2%80%9D |quote=“para la colonización el fondo del país, se hizo un raid contra estos pobres inofensivos hijos de la naturaleza y muchas tribus fueron borradas de la existencia. Los argentinos dejaron sueltos los perros de la guerra contra ellos; muchos fueron muertos y el resto – hombres, mujeres y niños- fueron deportados por mar"}}
• 1914–1918: Dogs were used by international forces to deliver vital messages. Sergeant Stubby, a Bull Terrier or Boston Terrier,{{cite news |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1921-07-09/ed-1/seq-18/#date1=1836&index=0&rows=20&words=Boston+STUBBY&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=stubby+boston&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1ID=15%201 |title=Evening Public Ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914–1942, July 09, 1921, NIGHT EXTRA, Image 18 |website=Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov |agency=Library of Congress |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |date=1921-07-09 |access-date=February 6, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055031/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1921-07-09/ed-1/seq-18/#date1=1836&index=0&rows=20&words=Boston+STUBBY&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=stubby+boston&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1ID=15%201 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |df=mdy-all }} has been called the most decorated war dog of World War I, and the only dog to be nominated for rank and then promoted to sergeant through combat.{{cite web |url=http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/exhibition/flash.html?path=8.1.r_15 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |title="The Price of Freedom" exhibition |access-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624031648/http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/exhibition/flash.html?path=8.1.r_15 |archive-date=June 24, 2014 |df=mdy-all }} Recognized in connection with an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution.{{cite web |url=http://historywired.si.edu/detail.cfm?ID=519 |work=History wired |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |title=Stubby, World War I Canine Hero 1921 |date=16 March 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117131914/http://historywired.si.edu/detail.cfm?ID=519 |archive-date=November 17, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2014/05/dogs_of_war_sergeant_stubby_the_u_s_army_s_original_and_still_most_highly.html |title=Sergeant Stubby: America's original dog of war fought bravely on the Western Front—then helped the nation forget the Great War's terrible human toll |first1=Gillian |last1=Kane |first2=Lisa, Illustrator |last2=Larson-Walker |date=May 7, 2014 |publisher=Slate.com |access-date=July 13, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713085216/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2014/05/dogs_of_war_sergeant_stubby_the_u_s_army_s_original_and_still_most_highly.html |archive-date=July 13, 2014 |df=mdy-all }} Reprinted in {{cite news |title=The story of Sergeant Stubby, WWI's most decorated dog |url=http://www.stripes.com/news/us/the-story-of-sergeant-stubby-wwi-s-most-decorated-dog-1.285051 |first1=Gillian |last1=Kane |newspaper=Stars & Stripes |date=May 24, 2014 |access-date=July 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701113942/http://www.stripes.com/news/us/the-story-of-sergeant-stubby-wwi-s-most-decorated-dog-1.285051 |archive-date=July 1, 2014 |df=mdy-all }} Among many other exploits, he's said to have captured a German spy. He also became mascot at Georgetown University. Rags was another notable World War I dog.
• 1941–1945: The Soviet Union deployed dogs strapped with explosives against invading German tanks, with limited success.
• 1943–1945: The United States Marine Corps used dogs, donated by their American owners, in the Pacific theatre to help take islands back from Japanese occupying forces. During this period, the Doberman Pinscher became the official dog of the USMC; however, all breeds of dogs were eligible to train to be "war dogs of the Pacific". Of the 549 dogs that returned from the war, only four could not be returned to civilian life. Many of the dogs went home with their handlers from the war.{{cite web |url=http://worldwar2history.info/Marines/dogs.html |title=Marine Dogs of World War II |publisher=Worldwar2history.info |date=1944-08-10 |access-date=2018-05-21 |archive-date=2018-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720232043/http://www.worldwar2history.info/Marines/dogs.html |url-status=dead }} Chips was the most decorated war dog during World War II.
• 1966–1973: About 5,000 US war dogs served in the Vietnam War (the US Army did not retain records prior to 1968); about 10,000 US servicemen served as dog handlers during the war, and the K9 units are estimated to have saved over 10,000 human lives; 232 military working dogsBurnam (2008) pp. 288–293 and 295Burnam (2008) pp. 281–288 US servicemen working as dog handlers were killed in action during the war. An estimated 200 Vietnam War dogs survived the war to be assigned to other US bases outside the US. The remaining canines were euthanized or left behind.{{cite web|author=Jessica Ravitz |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/12/war.dogs/index.html?hpt=C1 |title=War dogs remembered, decades later |publisher=cnn.com |access-date=2018-05-21}}Burnam (2008) p. xiv
• 2011: United States Navy SEALs used a Belgian Malinois military working dog named Cairo in Operation Neptune Spear, in which Osama bin Laden was killed.{{cite web|last=Viegas|first=Jennifer|title=A U.S. Navy Seals' Secret Weapon: Elite Dog Team|url=http://news.discovery.com/animals/a-us-navy-seals-secret-weapon-elite-dog-team-110503.html|publisher=Discovery.com|access-date=5 May 2011|date=2 May 2011|archive-date=11 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611175321/http://news.discovery.com/animals/a-us-navy-seals-secret-weapon-elite-dog-team-110503.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Brammer |first=Jack |title=Obama thanks special forces for daring bin Laden raid |url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mobile/?type=story&id=2014986679& |access-date=7 May 2011 |newspaper=Seattle Times |date=7 May 2011 |author2=Steven Thomma |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918103605/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mobile/?type=story&id=2014986679& |archive-date=18 September 2011 }}
• 2019: United States 1st SFOD-D operators used a male Belgian Malinois named Conan during the Barisha raid.
• 2020: According to Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal, US military working dogs should be bred in the US rather than in Europe. American breeders are said to become a necessity in the near term, Blumenthal said, solely due to an increase in demand for the dogs.{{cite web|url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/09/18/us-military-working-dogs-should-be-american-born-senator-says.html|title=US Military Working Dogs Should Be American-Born, Senator Says|access-date=18 September 2020|website=Military|date=18 September 2020}}

File:SP4 Bealock and scout dog Chief.jpg ("Chief"), in service with the United States Army, patrolling with his handler SP4 Bealock during the Vietnam War, 1960s]]

Dogs have been used for many different purposes. Different breeds were used for different tasks, but always met the demands of the handlers. Many roles for dogs in war are obsolete and no longer practiced, but the concept of the war dog still remains alive and well in modern warfare.

File:Working dog in Afghanistan, wearing a bulletproof vest, being trained-hires.jpg, in service with the United States military, undergoing escalation-of-force training during the War in Afghanistan, 25 February 2005]]

{{main|Attack dog}}

In ancient times, dogs, often large mastiff-type breeds, would be strapped with armour or spiked collars and sent into battle to attack the enemy. This strategy was used by various civilizations, such as the Romans and the Greeks. While not as common as in previous centuries, modern militaries continue to employ dogs in an attack role. Special Operations forces of the US military still use dogs in raids for apprehending fleeing enemies or prisoners, or for searching areas too difficult or dangerous for human soldiers (such as crawl spaces).{{cite web|url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Training-for-US-SOCOMs-Best-Friends-06923/ |title=Training for US SOCOM's Best Friends |publisher=Defenseindustrydaily.com |date=2011-06-13 |access-date=2018-05-21}}

Another program attempted during World War II was suggested by a Swiss citizen living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. William A. Prestre proposed using large dogs to kill Japanese soldiers. He persuaded the military to lease an entire island in the Mississippi to house the training facilities. There, the army hoped to train as many as two million dogs. The idea was to begin island invasions with landing craft releasing thousands of dogs against the Japanese defenders, then followed up by troops as the Japanese defenders scattered in confusion. One of the biggest problems encountered was getting Japanese soldiers with whom to train the dogs, because few Japanese soldiers were being captured. Eventually, Japanese-American soldiers volunteered for the training. Another large problem was with the dogs; either they were too docile, did not properly respond to their beach-crossing training, or were terrified by shellfire. After millions of dollars were spent with inconclusive results, the program was abandoned.{{cite book|pages=[https://archive.org/details/1942yearthattrie00groo_0/page/166 166–168]|title=1942: The Year that Tried Men's Souls|author=Winston Groom|publisher=Atlanta Monthly Press|year=2005|isbn=0-87113-889-1|url=https://archive.org/details/1942yearthattrie00groo_0/page/166}}

The Soviet Union used dogs for antitank purposes beginning in the 1930s. Earlier antitank dogs were fitted with tilt-rod mines and trained to run beneath enemy tanks, which would detonate the mines automatically. However, the dogs were trained with stationary Russian tanks and very seldom ran under the moving tanks; instead, they were shot as they ran beside the moving tanks. When both Russian and German tanks were present, the dogs would preferentially run towards the familiar Russian tanks.

File:The Battle of Frontiers, August-september 1914 Q70232.jpgs of the Belgian Army walking with dog-drawn machine gun carts in the Battle of the Frontiers during World War I, 20 August 1914]]

File:British messenger dogs with their handler, France, during World War I (2957940591).jpg, in France during World War I, 1 January 1918]]

About the time World War I broke out, many European communities used dogs to pull small carts for milk deliveries and similar purposes.{{cite book

|last=Ouida

|author-link=Ouida

|title=A Dog of Flanders

|publisher=Chapman & Hall |year=1872}}

Several European armies adapted the process for military use.{{cite book

|last=Dyer |first=Walter A. |author-link=Walter Alden Dyer

|title=Pierrot the Carabinier: Dog of Belgium

|publisher=Diggory Press |year=2006

|isbn=978-1-84685-036-3}}

In August 1914, the Belgian Army used dogs to pull their Maxim guns on wheeled carriages and supplies or reportedly even wounded in their carts.{{cite book

|title=First World War

|last=Willmott |first=H.P.

|publisher= Dorling Kindersley |year=2003

|page=59}} Two dogs of the sturdy and docile Martin Belge breed were used to pull each machine gun or ammunition cart. Already in common civilian use and cheap to buy and feed, the dogs proved hardier and more suitable for military use under fire than packhorses.{{cite book|last=Lierneux|first=Pierre|title=The Belgian Army in the Great War Vol. 2|year=2017|publisher=Verlag Militeria|location=Vienna|isbn=978-3-902526-86-1|page=146|edition=1.}} The dogs were officially withdrawn from military use in December 1916, although several months were needed before horse-drawn carts and motor vehicles had fully replaced them.{{cite book|last=Lierneux|first=Pierre|title=The Belgian Army in the Great War Vol. 2|year=2017|publisher=Verlag Militeria|location=Vienna|isbn=978-3-902526-86-1|page=165|edition=1.}}

The French had 250 dogs at the start of World War I. The Dutch army copied the idea and had hundreds of dogs trained and ready by the end of World War I (the Netherlands remained neutral). The Soviet Red Army also used dogs to drag wounded men to aid stations during World War II.{{cite web

|url=http://www.k9history.com/

|title=World War Two Combat: Axis and Allies

|publisher=Hahn's 50th AP K-9}} The dogs were well-suited to transporting loads over snow and through craters.

Dogs were often used to carry messages in battle. They were turned loose to move silently to a second handler. This required a dog that was very loyal to two masters, otherwise the dog would not deliver the message on time or at all. Some messenger dogs also performed other communication jobs, such as pulling telephone lines or cables from one location to another.Parsons Ph.D., Sir Jarrad Denzil (15 JUL 2021: 173, 181, 196-7). Parsons' Futures of K9 Working Dogs. Doctoral dissertation, archived in the Military Academy – Allied Defence Group, private Knights Univ. (Ko’G).

A {{convert|4|lb|kg|order=flip|round=0.5|abbr=off|adj=on}} Yorkshire terrier named Smoky was used to run a telegraph wire through a {{convert|4|to|8|in|cm|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|-diameter|order=flip}}, {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=mid|-long|order=flip}} pipe to ensure communication without moving troops into the line of fire.

{{Main|Military mascot}}

Dogs were often used as unit mascots for military units. The dog in question might be an officer's dog, an animal that the unit chose to adopt, or one of their canines employed in another role as a working dog. Some naval dogs such as Sinbad and Judy were themselves enlisted service members. Some units also chose to employ a particular breed of dog as their standard mascot, with new dogs replacing the old when it died or was retired. The presence of a mascot was designed to lift morale, and many were used to this effect in the trenches of World War I. An example of this would be Sergeant Stubby for the US Army.{{cite web|url=https://3milliondogs.com/blog-assets-two/2015/07/Screen-Shot-2016-01-22-at-11.03.22-AM.png|title=Sgt. Stubby.|access-date=2018-05-14|archive-date=2020-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128232250/https://3milliondogs.com/blog-assets-two/2015/07/Screen-Shot-2016-01-22-at-11.03.22-AM.png|url-status=dead}}

The Australian Defense Forces (ADF) and Special Operations Military Working Dogs (SOMWD) are very important in terms of the beginnings, capabilities, roles, and services of dogs in the Australian military. This is a perfect place to start reading about and understanding the importance of the dynamic lives and services that many breeds of dogs offer to humans in a varied and sustainable environment. They protect and serve alongside their handlers with grace and integrity, offering their service as military working dogs, loyal companions, and dedicated animals who take their training seriously. Their roles in military service are just as important today as ever before, and they should be saluted for their bravery and the protections they provide.{{Cite web |last=says |first=Jim Russell |date=2014-10-01 |title=Special Operations Military Working Dogs - Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute |url=https://bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com/elite-special-forces/australian-elite-special-forces/special-operations-military-working-dogs/#:~:text=The%20Australian%20Defence%20Forces'%20(ADFs,Special%20Operations%20Command%20(SOCOMD). |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com |language=en-GB}}

The plight of the MWDs in Vietnam led to much campaigning by veterans and animal organizations. The campaigning finally led to the following alteration in the way military dogs are treated by law:{{Cite web |title=US War Dogs {{!}} Retired Military Working Dogs Health Care |url=https://www.uswardogs.org/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=www.uswardogs.org |language=en}} President Bill Clinton made it a law that all military dogs were considered veterans, which allowed them to come home after service.{{Cite web |title='Nothing like that will happen again:' Dogs might be forgotten heroes of Vietnam, but not by their handlers |url=https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2023-05-13/vietnam-dogs-veterans-commemoration-10108643.html |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Stars and Stripes |language=en}} The Vietnam War provided invaluable service from military working dogs, but also highlighted the failure in their post-service welfare. The initial policies leading to the abandonment and euthanasia of these loyal animals led to record activism that culminated in historic legislative reform. MWDs are now revered and admired for their service and are assured of the care and dignity they rightly deserve in retirement.{{Cite web |title=Four-Legged Green Berets: The Canine Operators of Army Special Forces |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/4118043/four-legged-green-berets-the-canine-operators-of-army-special-forces |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250404203829/https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/4118043/four-legged-green-berets-the-canine-operators-of-army-special-forces/ |archive-date=2025-04-04 |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}

{{main|Animal testing}}

File:Mansbestfriendww2.jpg

In World War II, dogs took on a new role in medical experimentation, as the primary animals chosen for medical research.{{cite web|access-date= 2008-07-08

|url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/animals/canine.html

|work=History of Medicine: Animals as Cold Warriors |title=Canine Heroes and Medals

|publisher=National Library of Medicine, NIH |date=October 24, 2006

}} The animal experimentation allowed doctors to test new medicines without risking human lives, though these practices came under more scrutiny after the war. The United States' government responded by proclaiming these dogs as heroes.

The Cold War sparked a heated debate over the ethics of animal experimentation in the U.S., particularly aimed at how canines were treated in World War II. In 1966, major reforms came to this field with the adoption of the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act.{{cite journal |access-date=2008-07-08

|last=Buettinger |first=Craig

|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-13506650.html

|title=Antivivisection and the charge of zoophil-psychosis in the early twentieth century

|journal=The Historian|date=January 1, 1993}}

Handlers are trained to apply first aid on the battlefield for their injured dogs. U.S. Marine Corps Forces use realistic dog mannequins that respond by whimpering and barking. The handler is trained to triage (apply first aid) on the battlefield to check for heart pulsations, massive bleeding, amputations, collapsed lungs, etc.{{Cite web |title=This is why Navy SEALs and Delta Force take dogs on capture-kill missions against terrorist leaders |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-us-military-trains-dogs-navy-seal-delta-force-missions-2019-10#when-dogs-are-injured-on-the-battlefield-their-handlers-are-trained-to-provide-first-aid-8 |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Detection dog}}

Many dogs were used to locate mines. They did not prove to be very effective under combat conditions. Marine mine detecting dogs were trained using bare electric wires beneath the ground surface.Putney, William. (2001) Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of World War II, New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. {{ISBN|0-7432-0198-1}} The wires shocked the dogs, teaching them that danger lurked under the soil. Once the dog's focus was properly directed, dummy mines were planted and the dogs were trained to signal their presence. While the dogs effectively found the mines, the task proved so stressful for the dogs they were only able to work between 20 and 30 minutes at a time. The mine-detecting war dogs anticipated random shocks from the heretofore friendly earth, making them extremely nervous. The useful service life of the dogs was not long. Experiments with laboratory rats show that this trend can be very extreme; in some tests, rats even huddled in the corner to the point of starvation to avoid electric shock.

Dogs have historically also been used in many cases to track fugitives and enemy troops, overlapping partly into the duties of a scout dog, but use their olfactory skill in tracking a scent, rather than warning a handler at the initial presentation of a scent.

File:Marine-war-dogs.jpg, walking with their handlers to the frontline against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Bougainville campaign of World War II, November/December 1943.]]

All scout dogs must be taught the difference between human and animal scent. Some dogs are trained to silently locate booby traps and concealed enemies such as snipers. The dog's keen senses of smell and hearing would make them far more effective at detecting these dangers than humans. The best scout dogs are described as having a disposition intermediate to docile tracking dogs and aggressive attack dogs.

Scouting dogs are able to identify the opposing threat within 1,000 yards of area. This method of scouting is more efficient compared to human senses.{{cite web|url=http://www.uswardogs.org/war-dog-history/types-war-dogs/|title=Types of War Dogs - US War Dog Association - National Headquarters|website=www.uswardogs.org|access-date=16 June 2016|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509142552/https://www.uswardogs.org/war-dog-history/types-war-dogs/|url-status=dead}}

Scout dogs were used in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam by the United States to detect ambushes, weapon caches, or enemy fighters hiding under water, with only reed breathing straws showing above the waterline. The US operated a number of scout-dog platoons (assigned on a handler-and-dog team basis to individual patrols) and had a dedicated dog-training school in Fort Benning, Georgia.{{cite journal

|url = http://www.qmfound.com/scout_dogs.htm

|title = Scout Dogs - Enemy's Worst Enemy...

|last = Rubenstein

|first = SP4 Wain

|journal = Danger Forward

|volume = 3

|issue = 2

|date = June 1969

|publisher = U.S/ Army Quartermaster Museum

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090803142226/http://www.qmfound.com/scout_dogs.htm

|archive-date = 2009-08-03

}}

{{main|Guard dog}}

One of the earliest military-related uses, sentry dogs were used to defend camps or other priority areas at night and sometimes during the day. They would bark or growl to alert guards of a stranger's presence. During the Cold War, the American military used sentry dog teams outside of nuclear weapons storage areas. A test program was conducted in Vietnam to test sentry dogs, launched two days after a successful Vietcong attack on Da Nang Air Base (July 1, 1965). Forty dog teams were deployed to Vietnam for a four-month test period, with teams placed on the perimeter in front of machine gun towers/bunkers. The detection of intruders resulted in a rapid deployment of reinforcements. The test was successful, so the handlers returned to the US while the dogs were reassigned to new handlers. The Air Force immediately started to ship dog teams to all the bases in Vietnam and Thailand.

The buildup of American forces in Vietnam created large dog sections at USAF Southeast Asia (SEA) bases; 467 dogs were eventually assigned to Bien Hoa, Binh Thuy, Cam Ranh Bay, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Tuy Hoa, Phù Cát, Phan Rang, Tan Son Nhut, and Pleiku Air Bases. Within a year of deployment, attacks on several bases had been stopped when the enemy forces were detected by dog teams. Captured Vietcong told of the fear and respect that they had for the dogs. The Vietcong even placed a bounty on lives of handlers and dogs. The success of sentry dogs was determined by the lack of successful penetrations of bases in Vietnam and Thailand. The United States War Dogs Association estimated that war dogs saved over 10,000 U.S. lives in Vietnam.{{cite web

|access-date = 2008-07-08

|url = http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs.htm

|title = War Dogs

|date = January 9, 2007

|publisher = U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum

|location = Fort Lee, Virginia

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080523110604/http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs.htm

|archive-date = May 23, 2008

}} Sentry Dogs were also used by the Army, Navy, and Marines to protect the perimeter of a large bases.

File:K-9 Andy.jpg, in service with the United States Army, searches rubble outside of a target building in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad, during the Iraq War, 28 February 2009]]

Contemporary dogs in military roles are also often referred to as police dogs, or in the United States and United Kingdom as a military working dog (MWD), or K-9. Their roles are nearly as varied as those of their ancient relatives, though they tend to be more rarely used in front-line formations. As of 2011, 600 U.S. MWDs were actively participating in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.{{cite news|title=A Bin Laden Hunter on Four Legs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/science/05dog.html?_r=1|publisher=The New York Times Company|access-date=5 May 2011|author=Gardiner Harris|date=4 May 2011|quote=There are 600 dogs serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that number is expected to grow substantially over the next year.}}

Traditionally, the most common breed for these police-type operations has been the German Shepherd; in recent years, a shift has been made to smaller dogs with keener senses of smell for detection work, and more resilient breeds such as the Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherd for patrolling and law enforcement. All MWDs in use today are paired with a single individual after their training. This person is called a handler. While a handler usually does not stay with one dog for the length of either's career, usually a handler stays partnered with a dog for at least a year, and sometimes much longer.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} However, the length of the time with the dog and handler is very important. There must be trust between the two for things to work properly and smoothly. The handler must trust the dogs instincts to find a specific scent.Lefebvre, D., & Diederich, C. (2007). The quality of the relation between handler and military dogs influences efficiency and welfare of dogs. Applied Animal Behavioral Science, 104(1–2), 49–60.

The latest canine tactical vests are outfitted with cameras and durable microphones that allow dogs to relay audio and visual information to their handlers.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In the 1970s, the US Air Force used over 1,600 dogs worldwide. Today, personnel cutbacks have reduced USAF dog teams to around 530, stationed throughout the world. Many dogs that operate in these roles are trained at Lackland Air Force Base, the only United States facility that currently trains dogs for military use.{{cite news|access-date=2008-07-08

|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0409_030409_militarydogs.html

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030410044321/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0409_030409_militarydogs.html

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=April 10, 2003

|title=Dogs of War: Inside the U.S. Military's Canine Corps

|first=Maryann |last=Mott |date=April 9, 2003

|work=National Geographic News}} High Dive dog training is where the dog jumps from a military plane with their handler.{{Cite web |last=Heroes |first=Handmade By |title=10 Facts about Military Service Dogs |url=https://handmadebyheroes.com/blogs/features/10-facts-about-military-service-dogs |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Handmade By Heroes |language=en}}

File:Aviators performs medevac training, military working dogs climb to new heights 150724-A-AB123-004.jpg, participating in a training event at Camp Bondsteel with the NATO-led Kosovo Force, 23 July 2015]]

Change has also come in legislation for the benefit of the canines. Prior to 2000, older war dogs were required to be euthanized. The new law permits adoption of retired military dogs. One notable case of which was Lex, a working dog whose handler was killed in Iraq.

Numerous memorials are dedicated to war dogs, including at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California;{{cite web

|url=http://www.war-dogs.com/

|title=War-Dogs.com

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315162615/http://www.war-dogs.com/

|archive-date=2008-03-15

|url-status=dead

}} the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia; at the Naval Facility, Guam, with replicas at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville;{{cite web

|url=http://www.vet.utk.edu/wardog/

|title=War Dog Memorial

|publisher=The University of Tennessee

|access-date=2008-11-11

|archive-date=2009-08-10

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810090951/http://www.vet.utk.edu/wardog/

|url-status=dead

}} the Alfred M. Gray Marine Corps Research Center in Quantico, Virginia;{{cite web|access-date=July 23, 2010

|url=http://www.stripesguam.com/content/war-dog-memorial-tells-little-known-tale

|title=War Dog Memorial Tells Little-Known Tale

|first=Tara K. |last=Simpson

|date=September 22, 2007

|work=Stars and Stripes

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090804015408/http://www.stripesguam.com/content/war-dog-memorial-tells-little-known-tale

|archive-date = August 4, 2009

|url-status = dead}} and the Alabama War Dogs Memorial at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama.{{cite web |url=http://www.awdm.org/ |title=Alabama War Dogs Memorial Foundation |work=awdm.org |date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=April 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203054814/http://www.awdm.org/ |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |url-status=dead |author=}} The most recent MWD memorial, and the only one west of the Mississippi, was dedicated on April 16, 2011, at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas, California.

File:MWD HMX-1.jpg, in service with the United States Marine Corps, inspects baggage for loading with HMX-1, 14 March 2008]]

{{main|Police dog}}

As a partner in everyday military police work, dogs have proven versatile and loyal officers. They can chase suspects, track them if they are hidden, and guard them when they are caught. They are trained to respond viciously if their handler is attacked, and otherwise not to react at all unless they are commanded to do so by their handler. Many police dogs are also trained in detection, as well.Graham, Shawn (16 APR 2015: p. 6). “Pax welcomes new military working dog”, in Tester, Vol., 72, No, 15. Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Archived in Knights Military Academy (Ko’G); also here:  https://issuu.com/dcmilitary/docs/tester_041615 .

{{main|Detection dog}}

Both MWDs and their civilian counterparts provide service in drug detection, sniffing out a broad range of psychoactive substances despite efforts at concealment. Provided they have been trained to detect it, MWDs can smell small traces of nearly any substance, even if it is in a sealed container. Dogs trained in drug detection are normally used at ports of embarkation such as airports, checkpoints, and other places where security and a need for anti-contraband measures exist.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

MWDs can also be trained to detect explosives. As with narcotics, trained MWDs can detect minuscule amounts of a wide range of explosives, making them useful for searching entry points, patrolling within secure installations, and at checkpoints. These dogs are capable of achieving over a 98% success rate in bomb detection.{{cite web

|access-date = 2008-07-08

|url = http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs.htm

|title = War Dogs

|publisher = U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080523110604/http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs.htm

|archive-date = 2008-05-23

}}

File:Abu Ghraib 56.jpg during the 2003 invasion of Iraq ]]

The use of MWDs on prisoners by the United States during recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has been controversial.{{Cite web |title=General is said to have urged use of dogs |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5063441 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621231759/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5063441 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |date=26 May 2004 |first=R. Jeffrey |last=Smith |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Dog ownership in the Middle East is relatively uncommon, as many Muslims consider dogs unclean.{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/india/1038116/the-moment-in-history-when-muslims-began-to-see-dogs-as-dirty-impure-and-evil/ |work=Quartz |date=July 27, 2017 |access-date=September 20, 2022 |first=Alan |last=Mikhail |title=The moment in history when Muslims began to see dogs as dirty, impure, and evil }}

Iraq War: The United States has used dogs to intimidate prisoners in Iraqi prisons.{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/opinion/article/Gonzales-tortured-legacy-lingers-1248051.php |access-date=September 20, 2022 |title=Gonzales' tortured legacy lingers |first=Amy |last=Goodman |date=August 29, 2007 |work=Seattle Post Intelligencer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012034753/http://www.seattlepi.com/local/opinion/article/Gonzales-tortured-legacy-lingers-1248051.php |archive-date=2012-10-12 }}

In court testimony following the revelations of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, it was stated that Colonel Thomas M. Pappas approved the use of dogs for interrogations. Private Ivan L. Frederick testified that interrogators were authorized to use dogs and that a civilian contract interrogator left him lists of the cells he wanted dog handlers to visit. "They were allowed to use them to ... intimidate inmates", Frederick stated. Two soldiers, Sergeant Santos A. Cardona and Sergeant Michael J. Smith, were then charged with maltreatment of detainees, for allegedly encouraging and permitting unmuzzled working dogs to threaten and attack them. Prosecutors have focused on an incident caught in published photographs, when the two men allegedly cornered a naked detainee and allowed the dogs to bite him on each thigh as he cowered in fear.

Guantanamo Bay: The use of dogs to intimidate prisoners in Iraq is believed to have been learned from practices at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.{{cite news |title=Abu Ghraib Dog Tactics Came From Guantanamo |date=July 26, 2005 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=A14 |first=Josh |last=White |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/26/AR2005072601792.html |access-date=September 20, 2022 }}

The use of dogs on prisoners by regular U.S. forces in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base was prohibited by Donald Rumsfeld in April 2003. A few months later, revelations of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison were aired, including use of dogs to terrify naked prisoners; Rumsfeld then issued a further order prohibiting their use by the regular U.S. forces in Iraq.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-07-19-iraq-dogs_x.htm |title=Top commanders in Iraq allowed dogs to be used |first=John |last=Diamond |date=July 19, 2004 |work=USA Today |access-date=September 20, 2022 }}

Traditionally, as in World War II, US MWDs were returned home after the war, to their former owners or new adoptive ones. The Vietnam War was different in that U.S. war dogs were designated as expendable equipment and were either euthanized or turned over to an allied army prior to the U.S. departure from South Vietnam.Burnam (2008) p. XIII-XIV Due to lobbying efforts by veteran dog handlers from the Vietnam War, Congress approved a bill allowing veteran U.S. MWDs to be adopted after their military service. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed a law that allowed these dogs to be adopted,Burnam (2008) p. 270-272 making the Vietnam War the only American war in which U.S. war dogs never came home.{{cite news|title=Demand for adopting retired military dogs soars after SEAL raid|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/998309--demand-for-adopting-retired-military-dogs-soars-after-seal-raid | location=Toronto | work=The Star|first1=Julie|last1=Watson|date=May 27, 2011}} Now it is something any K-9 owner can do in the workforce after the dog retires. The same goes for police dogs that were in the service as well.{{cite journal | url=https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/publications/5aa3204f-6dc3-4660-9524-554a5e587936 | doi=10.1080/14759551.2019.1622544 | title='At home, he's a pet, at work he's a colleague and my right arm': Police dogs and the emerging posthumanist agenda | date=2020 | last1=Knight | first1=Charles | last2=Sang | first2=Kate | journal=Culture and Organization | volume=26 | issue=5–6 | pages=355–371 }}

Military working dogs continue to serve as sentries, trackers, search and rescue, scouts, and mascots. Retired MWDs are often adopted as pets or therapy dogs.

File:Ambulance Dog.JPG|Ambulance dogs search for wounded men through scent and hearing.

File:Belgian dogs trained to draw quick-firing guns.JPG|Belgian dogs trained to draw machine guns

File:German dog handler during a demonstration by the German Army 04372.jpg|A German Shepherd at the German Bundeswehr dog demonstration

File:US Navy 030212-N-8937A-004 Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Donald Reinhart, assigned to Fleet Activities Sasebo Security Department, fires off blank rounds of ammunition during a training exercise with his military working dog, Goof,.jpg|A Navy Master-at-arms fires blank ammunition to condition his dog to the sound.

File:Eric Barrios with military working dog in Afghanistan.jpg|A U.S. Air Force Security Forces dog handler attached to the Army's 3rd Special Forces Group in Afghanistan with a German Shepherd

File:K-9 Unit.jpg|U.S. Naval Security Force K-9 Unit training

File:Iraq dog.jpg|A U.S. soldier and his Labrador Retriever dog wait before conducting an assault against insurgents in Buhriz.

File:Working dog in Afghanistan, wearing a bulletproof vest, clears a building.jpg|U.S. Army working dog, a German Shepherd, wearing body armor clears a building in Afghanistan.

File:US Navy 061027-N-9662L-048 Petty Officer 2nd Class Blake Soller, a Military Working Dog (MWD) handler pets the head of his MWD Rico, at the War Dog Cemetery located on Naval Base Guam.jpg|U.S. Navy handler with a Military Working Dog paying respects at the National War Dog Cemetery, Naval Base Guam

File:Deployment of the International Mine Action Centre for mine-clearing operations in Palmyra (25).jpg|Russian sapper with his German Shepherd mine detection dog in Syria

File:U.S. Army Special Forces Multi-Purpose Canine team.jpg|A Special Forces operator in Syria alongside a SF Multi-Purpose Canine provides security for a nearby mortar position during the Deir ez-Zor campaign, October 11, 2018.

File:Sgt. Spano and Lobo, Da Nang, Vietnam, August 1968 (5859858971).jpg|A US Marine conducts a parachute jump with his war dog over Da Nang, Vietnam, August 1968

File:US Space Force airman - ruck march with military working dog during K-9 Veterans Day event - Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado - March 2025.jpg|USSF airman completing a ruck march with his military working dog.

• I'd Like to Give my Dog to Uncle Sam (1944 Song), about a blind man who wishes to have his dog enlisted in the military during World War II. The dog is a service dog; its owner refers to himself as a "blind boy"{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
• Max (2015 film), tells the fictional story of an American military dog rehabilitating into public life after his owner dies in combat.{{Cite web |last=Wloszczyna |first=Susan |date=June 26, 2015 |editor-link=Roger Ebert |title=Max |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/max-2015 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=RogerEbert.com}}
• Megan Leavey, (2017 film) tells the true story of US Marine corporal Megan Leavey and her military working dog Rex.
• War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend (2017), HBO feature documentary about soldier-canine relationships at war.{{cite web |title=War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend |url=https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/war-dog-a-soldiers-best-friend |access-date=15 January 2018 |website=HBO |publisher=Home Box Office, Inc. |language=en |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309224344/https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/war-dog-a-soldiers-best-friend |url-status=dead }}
• Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (2018 film), tells the story of a stray dog who befriends an Army battalion during World War I.
• Dog (2022 film), tells the fictional story of an American Army Ranger who must escort his deceased partner's military dog to his funeral.
• Finding Rin Tin Tin (2007 Film), Rin Tin Tin was a real German Shepherd who became a Hollywood star after being rescued by an American soldier during World War I. But you don’t have to be familiar with the origins of this famous canine to enjoy the entertaining, family-friendly dog war movie, “Finding Rin Tin Tin,” which came out in 2007. {{Cite web |last=Sparacino |first=Alyssa |date=2023-11-30 |title=10 Dog War Movies About Military Canines |url=https://be.chewy.com/9-dog-movies-honoring-military-canines/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=BeChewy |language=en-US}}
• Army Dog (2016 Film), “Army Dog is another family-friendly film, following Army sergeant Tom Holloway and his dog Conner, who return to the U.S. after a highly successful mission and aim to settle back into family life."
• Dog Jack (2010 Film), This dog war film is set during the American Civil War and follows the harrowing story of Benjamin Gardner, an enslaved man who escapes and eventually joins the Union Army to secure his freedom alongside his loyal dog, who, you guessed it, is named Jack.
• Books about Antis, a puppy rescued in WWII from no man's land in France by Czech fighter pilot Robert Bozdech:
• {{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=Damien| author-link =Damien Lewis (filmmaker)|title=War Dog: The No-Man's Land Puppy Who Took To the Skies|date=2013|publisher=Sphere|location=London|isbn=978-0751552751}}
• {{cite book|last1=Richardson|first1=Anthony | author-link =Anthony Richardson (author)|title=One Man and His Dog|date=1961|publisher=Dutton|location=New York|isbn=978-1844155903}}
• {{cite book|last1=Ross|first1=Hamish|title=Freedom in the Air: A Czech Flyer and His Aircrew Dog|date=2007|publisher=Pen & Sword Aviation|isbn=978-1844155903}}
• {{cite book|last1=Kadohata|first1=Cynthia|title=Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam|date=2007|publisher=Atheneum|isbn=978-1416906384}}
• Damien Lewis (2014). The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side Hardcover. {{ISBN|978-1476739144}}.

• {{annotated link|Ancient warfare}}
• {{annotated link|Animals in War Memorial}}, London
• {{annotated link|Dickin Medal}}, UK honour awarded to animals "for gallantry"
• {{annotated link|Dogs of Roman Britain}}
• {{annotated link|List of war dogs|Examples of dogs that gained notability in war}}
• List of individual dogs
• {{annotated link|National War Dog Cemetery}}, United States
• Parachuting animals
• Riot dog, a term used by media denoting dogs that accompany street protesters
• {{annotated link|Working dog}}
• Oketz – Canine special forces (sayeret) unit of the Israel Defense Forces.

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite news

| url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/harry-potter-actor-tom-felton-833509

| title = 'Harry Potter' Actor Tom Felton Joins Kate Mara in Indie War Hero Drama (Exclusive)

| last = Kit

| first = Borys

| work = The Hollywood Reporter

| date = October 22, 2015

| access-date = October 22, 2015

}}

{{cite news

| url = https://variety.com/2017/film/news/megan-leavey-kate-mara-dog-1201958369/

| title = Kate Mara Iraq War Hero Biopic 'Megan Leavey' Gets Release Date

| last = McNary

| first = Dave

| date = January 11, 2017

| work = Variety magazine

| access-date = January 11, 2017

}}

}}

• {{cite book|title=Military Dogs of World War II|first=Susan |last=Bulanda |isbn=978-1-63624-325-2 |publisher=Casemate Publishers|year=2023}}
• {{cite book|title=Pierrot the Carabinier: Dog of Belgium|first=Walter A. |last=Dyer |isbn=1-84685-036-3 |publisher=Meadow Books |year=2006}}
• {{cite book|last=Richardson|first=E.H.|title=British War Dogs; their training and psychology|url=https://archive.org/details/britishwardogsth00richrich|publisher=Skeffington|location=London|year=1920}}
• {{cite book |title=Rags, The Dog Who Went to War |year=2006|first=Jack |last=Rohan |publisher=Diggory Press |isbn= 978-1-84685-364-7|oclc=1348025 |location=Liskeard}}
• {{cite book |title=Dogs of the Conquest |year=1983|first=John |last=Varner|author2=J.J. Varner|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn= 978-0806117935 | location=Norman, OK}}
• {{cite book|title=Only A Dog: The True Story of a Dog's Devotion to His Master During World War|first=Bertha |last=Whitridge-Smith |year=2006 |publisher=Lightning Source|isbn=978-1-84685-365-4}}
• {{cite book|title=Captain Loxley's Little Dog And Lassie The Life-saving Collie: Hero Dogs of the First World War Associated With The Sinking of H.M.S. Formidable|isbn=978-1-905363-13-1

|last=Wood |first=E. S. |author2=R. M. Franklin |location=Burgress Hill |publisher=Diggory Press

|year=2005 |oclc=62306949}}

• {{cite book|title=Dog Tags of Courage: Combat Infantrymen and War Dog Heroes in Vietnam|first=John C. |last=Burnam |isbn=978-1-882897-88-9 |publisher=Lost Coast Press |year=2006}}
• {{cite book|title=A Soldier's Best Friend; Scout Dogs and their Handlers in the Vietnam War|first=John C.|last=Burnam|publisher=Sterling Publishing|isbn=978-1-4027-5447-0|year=2008}}
• {{cite book |title=Sergeant Rex: the unbreakable bond between a Marine and his military working dog |first=Mike C. |last=Dowling |isbn=9781451635966 |publisher=Atria Books |year=2011 |url=https://archive.org/details/sergeantrexunbre00dowl }}
• {{cite book|title=Trident K9 Warriors: my tales from the training ground to the battlefield with elite Navy SEAL canines|first=Ritland |last=Michael|author2=Gary Brozek |isbn=9781250024978 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2013}}
• Dogs in War, in The Illustrated Naval And Military Magazine, Vol. VIII, W. H. Allen, London, 1888, pages 169–176 ([https://books.google.be/books?id=QA8AAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22War%20Dog%22&hl=de&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q=%22War%20Dog%22&f=false Dogs in War Online Googlebooks])

{{Commons category|Military working dogs}}

• {{cite web

|url=http://www.qmfound.com/K-9.htm

|title=Quartermaster Dog Training Program

|first=K. M

|last=Born

|date=January 8, 2007

|publisher=U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum

|location=Fort Lee, Virginia

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120012604/http://www.qmfound.com/K-9.htm

|archive-date=2013-01-20

}}

• {{cite news

|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/08/ap_wardogs_070812a/

|title=Dogs in war receive loyalty, top care

|first=Jeff |last=Donn |agency=Associated Press

|date=August 12, 2007 |work=Army Times}}

• {{cite web

|url=http://www.k9history.com

|title=K-9 History: The Dogs of War!

|format=not an official military site

|publisher=50th Air Police K-9 Section|location=Hahn Air Base, West Germany}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.jbmf.us/

|title=Military Working Dog Teams National Monument}}

• {{cite web

|url=http://www.uswardogs.org/id16.html

|title=U.S. war dogs remembered

|work=K-9 Heroes – Remembered

|first=2nd Lt. Mike

|last=Pitts

|year=1966

|publisher=The United States War Dogs Association

|access-date=2006-08-11

|archive-date=2012-02-07

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207000410/http://www.uswardogs.org/id16.html

|url-status=dead

}}

• {{cite web

|url=http://www.vspa.com/k9/bases.htm

|title=Vietnam Security Police Association K-9 pages

|access-date=2007-08-12

|archive-date=2009-01-05

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105160600/http://www.vspa.com/k9/bases.htm

|url-status=dead

}}

• {{cite web

|url = http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs.htm

|title = War Dogs

|date = January 9, 2007

|publisher = U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum

|location = Fort Lee, Virginia

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080523110604/http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs.htm

|archive-date = May 23, 2008

}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.bulldoginformation.com/war-dogs.html

|title=War dogs, military service dogs, battle dogs

|publisher=The Bulldog Information Library}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs_Bibliography.htm|title=War Dogs: Reference Bibliography|publisher=U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum|location=Fort Lee, Virginia|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008222851/http://www.qmfound.com/War_Dogs_Bibliography.htm|archive-date=2007-10-08}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.visualintel.net/Special_Topics/776096

|title=Military Working Dog Public Domain Images Collection}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.awdm.org |title=Alabama War Dogs Memorial Foundation}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.loyaltyofdogs.com |title=Dogs of the American Civil War: A Tribute}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/the-dog-of-war-that-won-the-worldrsquos-hearts-268328.html |title=Irish Examiner article|date=13 May 2014}}
• {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.2569698|name=Big Picture: Canine College}}
• [http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/Home/Mike-Dowling.aspx Webcast Presentation] by Marine Corps Sergeant Mike Dowling about Sergeant Rex his memoir about his deployment to Iraq in 2004 along with military working dog Rex
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_A1MV--koY Dogs of the French Special Forces], published by Le Monde
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eVDWWFaS0U War Dogs: The Use of Canines in Warfare]

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{{Military animals}}

{{Working animals}}

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