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Tail Wagging Heroes: K9 Veterans Day Celebrates Paws-itively Brave Dogs Who Served!
Photo by Gab.ai
BAY COUNTY, FL - National K9 Veterans Day is celebrated on March 13th, which is thought to be the official birthday of the US Army K9 Corps, in 1942. Joseph White, a retired military working dog trainer, is credited with having originated the idea of K9 Veterans Day, to recognize the dedicated K9 units who have served since World War II.
Before World War II, the US military did not have a formal canine corps and owned fewer than a hundred dogs. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, a private citizen, Alene Erlanger pushed for the US military to begin using dogs.
“Dogs for Defense” was a World War II US military program in which pet owners were asked to donate their pet dogs to the war effort. The dogs were trained and used for guard and patrol duties. After completing the tour of duty, each dog was deprogrammed and returned to their family.
Forming “Dogs for Defense” was the idea of Harry Caesar, President of the American Kennel Club. Dogs have a superior sense of smell, with 200 million olfactory cells, versus 5 to 10 million that a human has. They have better night vision, can run up to 30 mph and jump very high into places that humans cannot go safely. Caesar called for at least 125,000 of the nation's pet dogs to be trained by the American Kennel Club and a handful of breeders then deployed for civilian defense or military guard duty.
Regional centers were set up for the intake and training of dogs. Originally, dogs were required to be well-behaved purebreds between one and five years old, weighing at least 50 pounds and standing at least 18 inches tall. As the need grew, mixed breeds were accepted. Many dogs were sent back home for being too friendly, but those who passed the training program were assigned to military installations both in the United States and in combat zones abroad. The first “Dogs for Defense” were deployed to North Africa. They were gun shy at first but proved to be well trained.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office currently has a K-9 Unit which is a group of deputies specially trained in handling dogs for locating criminal suspects, narcotics, explosives or missing people. The unit currently consists of four deputies and five dogs, including two German Shepherds, one Blood Hound, one Belgian Malinois and a Black Labrador.
Each K-9 deputy is required to have a minimum of 400 hours training in the handling of these special animals, who live with their handlers and ride along with them in their normal patrol zone.
There are currently “robot dogs” being tested by the Air Force Global Strike Command to tackle Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials incidents, to substitute for Airmen who would otherwise risk their lives in hazardous situations. Do you think the Airmen whose lives were saved by robot dogs will celebrate K9 Veterans Day when the dogs are retired?
Before World War II, the US military did not have a formal canine corps and owned fewer than a hundred dogs. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, a private citizen, Alene Erlanger pushed for the US military to begin using dogs.
“Dogs for Defense” was a World War II US military program in which pet owners were asked to donate their pet dogs to the war effort. The dogs were trained and used for guard and patrol duties. After completing the tour of duty, each dog was deprogrammed and returned to their family.
Forming “Dogs for Defense” was the idea of Harry Caesar, President of the American Kennel Club. Dogs have a superior sense of smell, with 200 million olfactory cells, versus 5 to 10 million that a human has. They have better night vision, can run up to 30 mph and jump very high into places that humans cannot go safely. Caesar called for at least 125,000 of the nation's pet dogs to be trained by the American Kennel Club and a handful of breeders then deployed for civilian defense or military guard duty.
Regional centers were set up for the intake and training of dogs. Originally, dogs were required to be well-behaved purebreds between one and five years old, weighing at least 50 pounds and standing at least 18 inches tall. As the need grew, mixed breeds were accepted. Many dogs were sent back home for being too friendly, but those who passed the training program were assigned to military installations both in the United States and in combat zones abroad. The first “Dogs for Defense” were deployed to North Africa. They were gun shy at first but proved to be well trained.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office currently has a K-9 Unit which is a group of deputies specially trained in handling dogs for locating criminal suspects, narcotics, explosives or missing people. The unit currently consists of four deputies and five dogs, including two German Shepherds, one Blood Hound, one Belgian Malinois and a Black Labrador.
Each K-9 deputy is required to have a minimum of 400 hours training in the handling of these special animals, who live with their handlers and ride along with them in their normal patrol zone.
There are currently “robot dogs” being tested by the Air Force Global Strike Command to tackle Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials incidents, to substitute for Airmen who would otherwise risk their lives in hazardous situations. Do you think the Airmen whose lives were saved by robot dogs will celebrate K9 Veterans Day when the dogs are retired?
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