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Dogs in warfare

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A US Air Force dog atop an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Iraq in 2007.

A war dog is a dog trained for war. Dogs have been used in wars since ancient times. Their jobs have varied over the years, from being trained to track with their acute sense of smell, to bringing down infantry or even horses by biting into the hamstrings of their targets.

The history of war dogs is long and detailed, stretching up to conflicts as recent as Vietnam. In ancient times, they disrupted battle lines and frightened soldiers. They were not rendered useless as the ages drew on, however. Stubby, a war dog of World War I, was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Chips, a German Shepherd mix, and Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier, were honored for service in World War II.

Gifts of wardog breeding stock between European royalty were seen as suitable tokens for exchange throughout the Middle Ages. Wardogs were used by England against the Gaels in Ireland and by many European forces, such as Spanish Conquistadors, in the New World.

History

Wild wolves were domesticated around 10,000 B.C. in Southwest Asia, China. Wolves' highly structured pack behavior made them ideal for domestication because they were eager to please. Eventually, domestication greatly changed the appearance and behavior of the animals, making them what are known today as dogs.

The first responsibilities of dogs were primarily as hunting companions, bed warmers, and food sources. Over the years, breeds became specialized for more complicated tasks, creating the breeds common today.

Dogs have been used in war for a very long time. Some ancient civilizations that used war dogs included the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Ancient Britons and the Romans. The Molossian 'Canis Molossus' dog of Epirus was the strongest known to the Romans, and were specifically trained for battle by the military. However, when fought against the broad-mouthed, powerful Mastiff called Pugnaces Britanniae found in Britannia, they were out matched. The Romans exported many of this breed of Mastiff to Rome and then disseminated them over the known world. Often war dogs would be sent into battle with large protective metal collars from which spikes and curved knives protruded at all angles and wearing coats of chain mail. Romans had attack formations made entirely of dogs. These proved to be effective machines of war at the time. Native Americans also used dogs, though not on this scale.

Dogs were also used for military purpose during the Middle Ages. Atilla the Hun used giant Molossian dogs in his campaigns. Other civilizations used armored dogs to defend caravans or attack enemies. Spaniards used dogs when they invaded the land controlled by South American natives. The British used dogs when they attacked the Irish. War dog breeding was highly valued.

Later on, Frederick the Great used dogs as messengers during the Seven Years' War in Russia. Napoleon would also use dogs during his campaigns. Dogs were also used up until 1770 to guard naval installations in France.

The first official use of dogs for military purposes in the United States was during the Seminole Wars. Dogs were used in the American Civil War to protect, send messages, and as mascots.

Historical examples

The use of War Dogs has been common even in many early civilizations. As warfare has progressed, their purposes have changed greatly.

Uses

U.S. Naval Security Force K-9 Unit

Dogs have been used for many different purposes. Different breeds were used for different things, but always met the demands of the handlers.

Sentry dogs

See also: Guard dog

Sentry dogs were used to defend camps or other priority areas at night. They would bark or growl to alert civilian or military guards of a stranger's presence. During the cold war, American military used sentry dog teams outside of nuclear weapons storage areas. A test program was conducted in Viet Nam to test Sentry Dogs. It was launched two days after a successful Viet Cong attack (July 1, 1965) on Da Nang Air Base. Forty dog teams were deployed to Viet Nam for a four month test period. Dog teams were 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. Handlers returned to the US and dogs were reassigned to new handlers. The Air Force immediately started to ship dog teams to all the bases in Viet Nam and Thailand.

The buildup of American forces in Viet Nam created large dog sections at USAF Southeast Asia (SEA) bases. Four hundred sixty seven (467) dogs were eventually assigned to Bien Hoa, Bien Thuy, Cam Ranh Bay, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Tuy Hoa, Phu Cat, 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 Viet Cong told of the fear and respect that they had for the dogs. The Viet Cong 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 Viet Nam and Thailand. Sentry Dogs were also used by the Army, Navy, and Marines to protect the perimeter of large bases.

Scout dogs

These dogs were 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. Scout Dogs were used in World War II, Korea, and during the Vietnam War.

Mine dogs

Marine Raiders take scouting and messenger dogs to the frontlines on Bougainville, late 1943

These dogs were used to locate mines. They did not prove to be very effective under combat conditions.

According to Lt. William Putney[1] DVM, USMC War Dog Platoon, GUAM, WW2, mine detecting dogs were trained using bare electric wires beneath the ground surface. The wires shocked the dogs, teaching them that danger lurked under the dirt. Once the dog's focus was properly directed, dummy mines were planted and the dogs were trained to signal their presence.

Dr. Putney related that 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 lab 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.

Messenger dogs

These dogs were used to carry messages in battle. They would be turned loose to move silently to a second handler. This required a dog which was very loyal to two masters, otherwise the dog would not deliver the message on time, or at all.

A Russian war dog was sent to deliver a message during the battle of Stalingrad. The dog travelled for about 10 kilometres and was wounded nine times during the trip.

One of the most famous war dogs was Rags, the mascot of the 1st Infantry Division (United States). Rags achieved great notoriety and achieved celebrity war dog fame, after saving many lives in the crucial Meuse-Argonne Campaign by delivering a vital message despite being bombed and gassed and partially blinded.

Some messenger dogs also performed other jobs, such as pulling radio lines from one station to another.

Anti-tank dogs

Main article: Anti-tank dogs

During World War II, the Soviet Union trained anti-tank dogs. These dogs were taught to seek food under tanks. They were then starved until a battle occurred, during which they would be released to seek food. The dogs wore a kind of pouched, canvas overcoat, similar to a modern doggie bodywarmer, in which high explosives were placed. When they ducked under a tank, the explosives were actuated by means of a Tilt Fuse on the dogs back, which when bent or broken set off explosives in the dog's overcoat, destroying the tank. These dogs were successful at disabling a reported 300 German tanks. They were dangerous enough that Panzergrenadiers were ordered to shoot all dogs on sight. However, the dogs were unable to distinguish allied from enemy tanks, and were easily scared away from battle despite their hunger. The project was eventually abandoned.

Attack Dogs

In ancient times, dogs, usually large ancient mastiff and rottweiler-type breeds, would be strapped with armor and spiked collars, and sent into battle to attack the enemy. This strategy was used by various civilizations, such as the Romans and the Greeks. This approach has been largely abandoned in modern day militaries due to the fact that modern weapons would allow the dogs to be destroyed almost immediately, as on Okinawa when US soldiers quickly eliminated a platoon of Japanese soldiers and their dogs.[2] Ethics questions have also been raised about the uses of dogs in this way.[weasel words]

Pulling Dogs

At the beginning of the first World War, the Belgian army used cart dogs to pull their Maxim machine guns. These guns were too small for horses and dogs would be a less obvious target. These dog "carabiniers" were flexible and fast. The French had 250 dogs at the start of WW 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). Many poor Europeans used dogs to pull small carts at that time. This is described in the novel "A dog of Flanders" by Ouida, from 1872. For a transformation of a cart dog into a war dog, see the novel "Pierrot the Carabinier" by Walter A. Dyer. More historical and scientific data in "British War Dogs; their training and psychology" by E.H. Richardson, pub. Skeffington, London 1920.

Modern Usage

The War Dogs' contemporary is now more commonly referred to as a Police dog, or in the United States as a Military Working Dog (MWD), or K-9. Their roles are nearly as varied as their ancient cousins, albeit are no longer used in front-line formations. Traditionally the most common breed for these operations has been the German Shepard, although in recent years there has been a shift to smaller dogs with keener senses of smell for detection work, and more resilient breeds 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 won't stay with one dog for the length of either's career, usually a handler will stay partnered to a dog for at least a year, sometimes much longer. In the '70s the US Air Force used over 1600 dogs worldwide. Today, personnel cutbacks have reduced USAF dog teams to approximately 530, stationed throughout the world.

Drug and Explosives Detection

Main article: Detection dog

Both MWDs and their civilian counterparts provide an invaluable service in the war on drugs in being able to sniff out a broad range of narcotics, despite efforts at concealment. Provided they have been trained to detect it, MWDs can smell small traces of nearly any illegal substance, even if it is in a sealed container. Dogs trained in Drug Detection are normally used at airports and other places where there is high security and a need for anti-contraband measures.

MWDs are perhaps at their most valuable when they are trained to detect explosives. Just as with narcotics, trained MWDs can detect minuscule amounts of a wide range of explosives, making them an invaluable addition both to entry points and patrolling within secure installations.

Law Enforcement

Main article: Police dog

As a partner in everyday policework, few humans can match the versatility and loyalty of a Police Dog. Police dogs 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 to otherwise do not react at all unless they are commanded to do so by their handler.

Use against prisoners

A bound prisoner in an orange jumpsuit is intimidated with a dog by US forces.

The use of War Dogs on prisoners by the United States in the context of its recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has been very controversial.

  • US occupation of Iraq - The U.S. has used dogs to intimidate prisoners in Iraq[3].
  • Guantanamo Bay - It is believed that the use of dogs on prisoners in Iraq was learnt from practices at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base[4].

In court testimony following the revelations of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, it was stated that Col. Thomas M. Pappas approved the use of dogs for interrogations. Pvt. 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, Sgt. Santos A. Cardona and Sgt. 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[5].

The use of dogs on prisoners by regular US forces in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base was prohibited by the Donald Rumsfeld in April 2003. A few months later following revelations of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, including use of dogs to terrify naked prisoners, Rumsfeld then issued a further order prohibiting their use by the regular US forces in Iraq, however the CIA were not affected by this prohibition[6].

In fiction

Even in military science fiction, the use of war dogs is somewhat rare. Two notable exceptions are the Killzone video game series and Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers. In the former, the Helghast were said to employ dogs in their campaign on Vekta. The dogs did not appear in the first Killzone game, but do in the PlayStation Portable game, Killzone: Liberation.

In Harry Turtledove's Worldwar: In the Balance, an alternate history novel where aliens invade the Earth during WWII, the Soviets use anti-tank dogs on alien tanks.

In Command and Conquer: Red Alert, Soviet commanders can train and use attack dogs to kill infantry units in one bite. Also in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 both the Allies and the Soviets can train dogs that kill infantry, sniff out spies, and are useful in exploring the map.

In the game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, dogs are used as sentries and can detect the player by smell.

In the game Age of Empires 3, players are able to train dogs to explore or to attack other players.

In the game Wolfenstein 3D, the player is confronted with Nazi attack dogs. In the Super Nintendo version of the game, the dogs were replaced with mutant rats due to complaints from animal-rights activists.

In the game Rome: Total War, the player can use wardogs as they would a normal squad of soldiers.

In the game Splinter Cell, as well as Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, agent Sam Fisher occasionally encounters guard dogs during operations, which can detect him with smell -- as well as sight and sound -- making them somewhat unique threats. However, in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Splinter Cell: Double Agent, there are no guard dogs.

In the game Call of Duty 4, the protagonist occasionally encounters guard dogs. The dogs, however, do not seem to be able to detect the player with scent or enhanced hearing, and only attack when the player's presence has already been detected.

See also

Books

  • Rags, The Dog Who Went to War, Jack Rohan, Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1846853647
  • Only A Dog, Bertha Whitridge-Smith, ISBN 978-1846853654
  • 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 978-1905363131
  • Pierrot the Carabinier: Dog of Belgium Walter A Dyer, ISBN 1846850363

References

  1. ^ Putney, William. (2001) Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII, New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. ISBN 0-7432-0198-1
  2. ^ Astor, Gerald. Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II. Dell (1996) ISBN 0440221781
  3. ^ U.S. Army interrogator Tony Lagouranis stated "We were using dogs in the Mosul detention facility" in the Seattle Post Intelligencer, published on-line as Gonzales' tortured legacy lingers
  4. ^ Usage of Dogs on prisoners in the Iraq conflict was learnt from practices in Guantanamo according to court testimony in the The Washington Post, published on-line as : Abu Ghraib Dog Tactics Came From Guantanamo
  5. ^ Testimony taken from the Washington Post, published on-line as Testimony Further Links Procedures at 2 Facilities
  6. ^ Timelines on when the two bans on the use of dogs by Rumsfeld were issued as published by USA Today, published on-line as : Top commanders in Iraq allowed dogs to be used
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