Military Working Dogs (MWDs) work faithfully alongside brave and courageous young men and women to safeguard freedom and protect our great Nation.

How it Began

Following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, dog enthusiasts, the American Kennel Club, and a newly emerging group calling itself “Dogs for Defense,” mobilized dog owners across the country to donate dogs to the military. Where were these patriotic pet owners sending their pets? To a special combat service support branch of the United States Army. What did these dogs do? They saved the lives of a number of soldiers in combat. Here are just a few of the ways our K-9 dogs have passionately protected and served our great nation.

Sentry Dogs

Thsee dogs were worked on a short leash and were taught to give warning by growling, alerting, or barking. They were especially valuable for working in the dark when attack from cover or the rear was most likely. The sentry dog was taught to accompany a military or civilian guard on patrol and gave him warning of the approach or presence of strangers within the protected area.

Scout or Patrol Dogs

In addition to the skills listed for sentry dogs, scout/patrol dogs were trained to work in silence to aid in the detection of snipers, ambushes, and other enemy forces in a particular locality.

First Aid

After searching vigorously for wounded soldiers, medical aid dogs would drag heavy servicemen and women to the nearest first aid station. These large and powerful dogs would drag bodies across vast distances, often in intemperate climates, in an effort to save them.

Messenger Dogs

The most desired quality in these dogs was loyalty, since they must be motivated by the desire to work with two handlers. They learned to travel silently and to take advantage of natural cover when moving between the two handlers. (A total of 151 messenger dogs were trained.)

Modern warfare dogs serve roles nearly as varied as their ancient cousins, though they tend to be more rarely used in front-line formations.  MWDs in use today are paired with a single individual handler who they form service-long (and often life-long)  partnerships with. Dogs like to serve a role, follow a pack, and help others in distress. These instinctual feelings help MWDs realize their potential in a truly meaningful and resourceful way.

Lex, the former bomb-sniffing dog of the late Marine Cpl. Dustin Lee of Stonewall, was presented a purple heart in February 2008

Thanks to a law passed in 2008, retired military dogs can now be adopted, the first of which was Lex, a working dog whose handler was killed in Iraq.

There is an effort currently underway to petition the United States Postal Service for a stamp honoring Military Working Dogs.

Thank you to all of the men, women, and Military Working Dogs, who faithfully serve and protect the United States of America!

Tags: Army Dog, dog hero, Dog Tags, Dogs, K-9, K9, Military, Military Working Dogs, MWD, MWDs, Soldier Dogs, War