Furry Friday: dogs of war
2009-Nov-13, Friday 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mellowtiggerThis post will be different from the usual format, inspired by recent posts on other blogs about dogs on Veterans' Day here in the USA. (Oh, and Mufasa, Lucy, and Lil Dude are still waiting for homes!)
In case you're expecting a Feel Good Moment here on Furry Friday, I should start with these two videos to make you smile.
For more of the story, though, I offer some details from a few webpages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) that I encountered during my search.
Dogs were one of the animals sacred to Ares, the Greek god of war. Dogs have a long history of association with human warfare, going back perhaps 6000 years into the past. In modern times, though, they still are trained and used. I think that over 700 dogs are now fighting alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Besides their frequent appearance as mascots and friends, military dogs have also been trained for other specific roles:
Dogs have been hoisted by helicopters and even dropped by parachutes. They have been used for medical and scientific research. (*sad sigh*) Thankfully, some military forces do try to protect animals and heal their injuries.
These animals are also finding jobs as therapy dogs. Now, I voted for somebody other than Minnesota's US Senator, Al Franken, but I admit to being pleased with his performance so far. He has co-sponsored a "Service Dogs for Veterans" Act that would help place trained service animals with veterans with either psychological or physical problems as a way to "reduce the alarming suicide rate among veterans, decrease the number of hospitalizations, and lower the cost of medications and human care" according to this local news story.
In case you're expecting a Feel Good Moment here on Furry Friday, I should start with these two videos to make you smile.
For more of the story, though, I offer some details from a few webpages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) that I encountered during my search.
Dogs were one of the animals sacred to Ares, the Greek god of war. Dogs have a long history of association with human warfare, going back perhaps 6000 years into the past. In modern times, though, they still are trained and used. I think that over 700 dogs are now fighting alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Besides their frequent appearance as mascots and friends, military dogs have also been trained for other specific roles:
Intimidation | Detection |
Scout / Sentry | Anti-tank suicide bombers (also used by terrorists in Iraq) |
Fighting | Communications |
Logistics | First Aid The dog locates a wounded man, takes his hat back to field medics, and then guides them out to the injured soldier. |
Dogs have been hoisted by helicopters and even dropped by parachutes. They have been used for medical and scientific research. (*sad sigh*) Thankfully, some military forces do try to protect animals and heal their injuries.
These animals are also finding jobs as therapy dogs. Now, I voted for somebody other than Minnesota's US Senator, Al Franken, but I admit to being pleased with his performance so far. He has co-sponsored a "Service Dogs for Veterans" Act that would help place trained service animals with veterans with either psychological or physical problems as a way to "reduce the alarming suicide rate among veterans, decrease the number of hospitalizations, and lower the cost of medications and human care" according to this local news story.
no subject
Date: 2009-Nov-13, Friday 04:46 pm (UTC)