dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:26:43 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:28:22 GMT
War Memorial pays tribute to animals that served in conflicts Animals that have served in Australia's war efforts have been recognised at a new event at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Hundreds of people attended the all-day event to pay tribute to the wartime animals. The event showcased the contribution of the Australian light horse in World War I, pack animals such as donkeys in Gallipoli, carrier pigeons in Kokoda, and detection dogs in the Vietnam War and Afghanistan. The War Memorial says an estimated 13,000 Australian light horses never returned from World War I. Among the animals honoured was Cougar, the former SAS patrol dog belonging to trooper Mark Donaldson, VC. Memorial director Brendan Nelson says Cougar was among five to die from service in Afghanistan over the past decade. "Cougar was shot in the face, the leg, had three rounds into his chest. He then swam across a river, back to his handler," he said. "We as Australians who are civilians, too often we forget that the animals are involved." www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-23/tribute-to-animals-serving-in-australian-war-effort/5277992Attachments:
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:29:23 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:30:27 GMT
Pet lovers prepare care packages for four-legged military heroes in Tinton Falls A platoon of volunteers packed toiletries, snacks, toys and treats for military personnel at the Purr’n Pooch Pet Resorts Tinton Falls location on Saturday. Plenty of Americans believe in supporting the troops – but few do what it takes to support all of the country’s military members, especially the four-legged ones. “I’m passionate about both military training and K-9 working dogs,” Purr’n Pooch trainer and behavioralist Dick Palazzo said. “We have done a lot of fundraising for different animal causes, but never did we get such a quick hit as we did with this one.” www.uswardogs.org/pet-lovers-prepare-care-packages-for-four-legged-military-heroes-in-tinton-falls-2/
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:31:40 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Posts: 222
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:33:11 GMT
Scout Dogs Saved This Marine’s Ass I served as a squad leader with the second platoon of the Provisional Rifle Company, located at the Force Logistics Command just north of Da Nang near Red Beach. We were the perfect example of “Every Marine a Rifleman”. Everyone in the second platoon as I recall, were from the Communications Company but FLC needed protection and we became the grunts. My MOS (military occupation specialty) was 2841, radio repairman, but, overnight my MOS became 0311, Infantry. The Provisional Rifle Company conducted day and night patrols and ambushes outside our perimeter. Our main area of operation evolved around a small village just north of our base on highway 1. Around the village were miles of rice paddies, marshes, and a large river that emptied into the South China Sea. Throughout the rice paddies were little bumps of land scattered here and there , that we called islands. Being Marines, we labeled the islands with names such as, “Temple”, “Tarzan” and even “No Name”. The image below is the photo map I carried to call in mortars, air support or medical evacuations in the area around the islands. confessions-of-a-first-sergeant.com/2013/04/29/scout-dogs-saved-this-marines-ass/
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:37:31 GMT
Researchers developing technology to prevent heat injury in military working dogs By Kelly Field Army News Service Last summer, Ken Ballinger, a K-9 officer with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, was conducting a training session with working dogs on a hot and humid New England day. For safety, Ballinger had arranged for two veterinarians and three paramedics to be on site. When the dogs were not working, they were resting in air-conditioned vehicles, and checked on every 15 minutes. On one of these routine checks, Ballinger’s dog, Blitz, a 3-year-old Shepherd, did not respond. The vehicle had failed, so that instead of blowing cool air, 200-degree engine air flowed into the cabin where Blitz was. Blitz was unconscious when he was pulled from the vehicle. Emergency treatment began immediately, including application of ice packs, administration of intravenous fluids and rapid transport to Angell Animal Medical Center, located only five minutes away. An hour later, Blitz’s core temperature was still 109 degrees, far above normal; yet within two weeks he was back to work. In the veterinary community, this was the highest temperature documented with survival. “Heat stress is a significant concern for military working dogs, or MWDs, both during training and deployment,” said Kate O’Brien, a research physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, or USARIEM, in Natick, Mass. “If heat illness occurs, even if it is not fatal, MWDs are often retired from service, resulting in loss of a valuable resource that is costly with respect to both time and money.” www.myguidon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16855&Itemid=39
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:38:23 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:38:52 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Posts: 222
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:39:18 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Posts: 222
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:39:47 GMT
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:40:28 GMT
Celtic war dog
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:41:52 GMT
Marine war dog 'Butch' in WW2 at Guam
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:42:41 GMT
Taken in 1943 at the Marine War Dog Detachment Training School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
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dogsofwar
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Post by dogsofwar on Feb 24, 2014 8:44:40 GMT
"Hair triggered wet nosed sensors allowed Marines to sleep--even when the enemy was within shotgun distance. Here Pvt. Rex Hester of 7th War Dog Platoon naps under guard of his dog Butch." CYRIL O'BRIEN Captain O'Brien covered Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima as a World War II combat correspondent. He is retired as Director of Media Affairs at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory. The following article is reprinted with permission Reprinted from Naval History with permission; Copyright © 1996 U.S. Naval Institute/www.usni.org. If you would like to view a PDF version of the article, please click here. Marine's Best Friend by Captain Cyril O'Brien US Marine Corps (Retired) The familiar watch and guard skills of dogs at war would not be nearly enough for what Colonel Keller E. Rockey envisioned in 1942 in planning the role of the proposed new Marine Corps battle arm, the War Dog Platoons. Marine war dogs for "direct contact" with the enemy was a quantum step from camp boundary sniffers, gate guards, or trespass pickets. The Corps sought in the dogs a custom designed infantry weapon honed on discipline and obedience, which could be used with expected results. The dog with a man would form a single combat unit that would train and fight together and fit in where needed. The war dog concept materialized fast under emergency pressure. On 24 November 1942, Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, Cornmandant of the Marine Corps, initiated the War Dog Training Program, and by war's end, more than 1,000 dogs served stateside and in campaigns from Bougainville to Okinawa and in all Marine Corps divisions. General Holcomb invited volunteers to an accelerated three- to four-month course as combat dog handlers. He admitted that there was no such expertise at Marine Corps Headquarters but found help from the United Doberman Club of America (NOTE: Should be Doberman Pinscher Club of America) and Doberman devotee Roslyn Terhune, who was instrumental in getting the program started. Advice, hands-on help, and recruiting assistance also came from the American Kennel Club, the Professional Handlers Association, and Dogs for Defense. The Corps enlisted the help of Jackson H. Boyd, Master of Hounds. He was made captain in the Marines and went with 19 enlisted men to the Army's dog training school at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. They returned with the basics and 42 dogs in December 1943. Opened in early 1944, the 1st War Dog Training School quickly grew to 50 men and nearly as many dogs, mostly Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds-although there was no official Navy or Marine Corps breed. In fewer numbers were Belgian Sheepdogs, Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Mastiffs, Bouviers, Labradors, Rottweilers, and Retrievers. The Corps did not accept every applicant. Reemits had to be 25 inches to the shoulder, weigh 50 pounds, and have a agreeable personality. The 14 week dog training school was grueling-with padded enemies attacking out of the bush and dynamite charges showering man and dog with dirt and debris. The right stuff was determined there for man and dog, and both formed bonds that lasted for life. The dogs became expert in scouting, pointing for patrols, and monitoring the line for infiltration or even mass attack; the handlers became advanced infantrymen, scouts, and snipers. Man and dog ate together, trained together, and fought together. Words-never physical reprimand- praised, stroked, and corrected as fulfilled dogs wiggled hinds in pride and joy and licked extended hands. www.dpca.org/faithful/vips/obrien.htm
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