Cold War Dogs

It Ended With Silence! There was a war Though most often it was clandestine and subtle, it ranged worldwide, cost many lives, evoked much heroism and lasted what seemed like for ever. It was America's longest war, and no it wasn't Vietnam! There were to be no medals And there were no victory parades. There are no momuments or museums built, no special day designated to mark the victory and to honor the sacrifices made by Americans to achieve it, it did not rate even fireworks.

The Americans who fought it It was a struggle against the Soviet Union and international communisms And as Senator P. Gramm so elegantly said: Newton, 50th SiteBuilder. Peter Schneider is one of Germany's best known political essayists. Schneider takes his readers on an insider's tour of Germany. In the story "Of Dogs and Germans", for example, he describes the fate of the dogs that had been guarding the Berlin wall in former East Germany and uses their fate as an example of the paradoxes and absurdities of life in the absence of the wall.

When God created the German, He gave him the German shepherd as a companion. And I for one will not be swayed by any claim that the dog was originally Scottish or Irish, for if the German shepherd wasn't German by birth, it has certainly proven itself German by choice. At every turning point in modern German history, the shepherd has stuck to its post with steadfast determination. And when the Berlin Wall fell and Erich Honecker fled to the Soviet Union, he was not only abandoning seventeen million Germans, but thousands of German shepherds as well.

Of course, it's safe to presume that Honecker had no personal relationship with his many loyal four-legged sentries; after all, they guarded not just his house in Wandlitz, but the entire East German state. Nevertheless, these animals so closely connected with the Germans were the first to feel the wounds left by the cutting edge of history on November 9. Overnight they lost their jobs as well as their homes in the kennels along the border. The true dimensions of their service didn't become known until after the Wall came down.

All told, the East Germans kept over 5, dogs along the border, including approximately 2, watchdogs and 2, so-called horse dogs. They weren't all German shepherds, for in the egalitarian workers' state, these aristocrats had no choice but to share space with Rottweilers, schnauzers, and all types of mixed breeds. Germans on both sides of the Wall were moved by the news that thousands of their favorite dogs had lost their masters during the night of November 9. They feared the worst. In the collective imagination, the desperate, forlorn dogs gathered along desolate stretches of border to howl at their one remaining employer, the moon.

People even expected to see wild and dangerous packs of homeless animals prowling the suddenly accessible streets of West Berlin. But nothing of the kind happened. After many tortuous special sessions, the Society finally announced, in January , that 2, Walldogs would settle in West Germany within the following eight weeks. Hundreds of sympathetic single households along with dozens of families with children spontaneously expressed their willingness to adopt. The news of the impending transfer unleashed the wrath of the West German Shepherd Association, who then accused the society of insufficient expertise and carelessness.

The Association claimed that the border dogs were much too "dangerous" for inexperienced animal lovers. They had been kept "without social contact with humans," they would become more and more "difficult to integrate into families" as they grew older, and they were "scarcely capable of being reeducated for normal daily life.

One thousand were so dangerous they needed to be put to sleep. Dogs that had been raised under stalinism were too "influenced by their environment" to be suited for house pets. These allegations cut the East German dogkeepers to the quick, and for perhaps the first time in history, friends and foes of dogs joined hands in common protest. Experts from East German animal shelters spoke of Western smear campaigns reminiscent of the Cold War. In order to protect the Western purebloods from this evaluation, their Eastern brothers and sisters were being systematically defamed.

Whereas in fact, the East Germans claimed, the poor border dogs were really the "last victims of Stalinism," and as such deserved special care and understanding. Far from being misanthropic, the dogs who had served with the border patrols were actually "very much in need of love" and eager for affection: What's more, the dogs were uneducated and completely incompetent; they couldn't even bite on command.

Not a single refugee had ever even been nipped by one of these dogs. On the contrary, every Wall-jumper who had given them a friendly click of the tongue was welcome to pet and scratch them behind the ears. These purported descendants of the Baskerville hound had only two things on their minds: In fact, one West German buyer even returned a particularly majestic specimen, indignant that the animal hadn't uttered a peep when burglars broke into his house.

The East German defenders of the homeless border dogs grew downright alarmed when they realized that the negative propaganda had actually enticed whole flocks of undesirable buyers. Pimps looking for a "killer beast" strolled up and down in front of the East Berlin kennels; dog maniacs suffering from Napoleonic complexes saw the opportunity to compensate for their small stature by acquiring a gigantic German shepherd.

Nor were prospective buyers from abroad lacking. The head of the East Berlin Border Patrol's Canine service told of a spaniard who tried to acquire several dogs at once for medical experiments, of Koreans and Chinese who were eyeing the animals as major ingredients for tasty culinary specialties from down home.

The stray dogs that led the space race

The orphaned dogs' East German wardens grew more suspicious with every passing day. They began to subject Western clients to oral and even written tests designed to separate "serious" dog lovers from "dubious" ones. Unfortunately only a small number of the German shepherds could be placed in East German homes, due to the well-known shortage of living space.

Moreover, forty years of antifascist training had evidently affected the taste of the East German populace, who now preferred house pets that could not possibly be identified as symbols of power, aggression, or domination: The dispute has now died down. Almost all the border dogs have been successfully adopted, and there's little talk of problems of integration.

Many of the new arrivals who first reacted to canned food in all its western variety with upturned noses or even diarrhea have successfully adjusted. Most have overcome their fear of elevators and escalators. They are no longer afraid of unknown canine species and have stopped running away at the sight of miniature poodles wearing knitted caps and leather jackets.

Almost all are proving themselves willing to learn, even to the point of understanding commands in dialects other than Saxon. Remains Of The Wall! But whenever they accompany their new Western masters on walks near where the Wall once stood, they are suddenly deaf to every call and run their programmed beat without veering right or left.

The Wall itself has disappeared so completely that even native Berliners can't always say exactly where it used to stand. France's Dogs of War! It is thought, that France probably has the largest number of War Dogs in use today of any country other than Israel. Training of the French dogs aims at the same objectives as in the British Army system Commands are also very similar, "Cherchez," which may be followed by encourgement "Qui, c est bien," when the dog is fairly on the trail.

The Soviet's Dogs Of War! These were Soviet conscripts, who were members of various dog training clubs located through out the USSR, and owned a suitable animal; the dogs would serve only with them and would return back home, when the conscripts were demobilized. The remaining Soviet handlers would train with Government owned dogs, bred at the school, generally there were approx conscripts in training at anyone time, which gives us an idea of the size of the school.

Soviet War Dogs In Afghanistan December - May Soviet Sappers attached to the Combat Engineers used mine sniffing dogs to detect the thousands of our land mines, planted by the Mujahedin freedom fighters during the war. German shepherds were the breed of choice, and much has been written about their mine clearing duties and the problems, that the Soviets had wiith them dogs working in Afghanistan's hot weather, the fatigue of long journeys by armored personnel carrier APQ , how gasoline fumes dulled the dogs' sense of smell, and other issues addressed in the military press all testify to the attention the Soviets gave to this old but still important means of military support.

Usually, an Soviet dog handler was responsible for four dogs; so that when a soldier arrived at a permament unit, he would take over the responsibility for dogs whose handlers had been released from service. The Soviet Handlers and Dogs, were much like canine units from other countries, and were trained to guard various types of military installations, border patrols, to search for drugs and explosives, conduct search and rescue operations and unique to the Soviets to blow up tanks! Shown above, the Suicide Dog is carrying a pack, that would hold explosives, in its mouth is the trigger, which it would release, once underneath a tank The breed of dogs used are mostly: German Shepherds, and Belgian Shepherds Malinois, a breed with a very balanced set of virtues, a lot of temperament, faithful and they like working.

Dog training begins at the age of one and a half to 2 years old and consists of a six-week basic course, after which, the dogs will enter one of several advance courses, depending on their future use.

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In the early ninties, the German Army had at least 3, dogs, that were trained at Koblenz; the current number is not known. Like any other country, Germany's military working dogs are deployed to support their bases, air installations, and border security; there's also a small dog unit operating in Bosnia, to support their NATO peacekeeping troops. In June, , the Republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from the former Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav Army, under the control of Serbs, retaliated Nato's Operation Peacekeeping Bosnia - Heregovina Finnish K-9 Check Point Station During the past 6 years, a compilation of soldiers from armies throughout the world have assumed the responsibility of providing a peaceful and stable environment for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but their job would not be possible if they did not feel safe themselves.

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Every night, the two K-9 Teams patrol the camp, making sure nothing out of the ordinary is happening, they check bunkers and all of the camp's fighting positions. Their dogs are two certified patrol dogs, both Belgian Malinois, that are experts at detecting and detaining unauthorized personnel. Fortunately, they have not had to prove those skills yet. According to one handler, things have been pretty quite!. They have done a few bomb sweeps on vehicles that have come on the base, but those have been few and far between and were to ensure force protection.

Generally, for the most part, the two handlers spend their free time developing their dogs skills. The dogs have strict training requirements, and being deployed is a perfect time to work on their training. The dogs are trained daily, and everything that the dogs do is documented. Another part of their training, is rapport building. The more personal time they spend with their dogs, the more rapport they build and a happier dog works better.

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Although the primarily use of the two dogs is to secure Camp McGovern, they could be called upon at anytime to provide force protection support for soldiers working outside the gates. On several occassions, the two K9 teams have been asked to sweep buildings to make sure they were safe. Both handlers consider themselves lucky to be a part of the Army's military working dog program. When asked why, one answered: That gives me confidence in every situation," he said. The article and photos are reprinted here with Mr.

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One of the earliest military-related uses, sentry dogs were used to defend camps or other priority areas at night and sometimes during the day. They would bark or growl to alert guards of a stranger's presence. During the Cold War , the American military used sentry dog teams outside of nuclear weapons storage areas. A test program was conducted in Vietnam to test sentry dogs, launched two days after a successful Vietcong attack on Da Nang Air Base July 1, The detection of intruders resulted in a rapid deployment of reinforcements.

The test was successful, so the handlers returned to the US while the dogs were reassigned to new handlers. The Air Force immediately started to ship dog teams to all the bases in Vietnam and Thailand. Within a year of deployment, attacks on several bases had been stopped when the enemy forces were detected by dog teams. Captured Vietcong told of the fear and respect that they had for the dogs.

The Vietcong 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 Vietnam and Thailand. Their roles are nearly as varied as those of their ancient cousins, though they tend to be more rarely used in front-line formations. As of , U. Military dogs were actively participating in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Traditionally, the most common breed for these police-type operations has been the German Shepherd ; in recent years there has been a shift to smaller dogs with keener senses of smell for detection work, and more resilient breeds such as the Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherd 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 with a dog for at least a year, and sometimes much longer. The latest canine tactical vests are outfitted with cameras and durable microphones that allow dogs to relay audio and visual information to their handlers.

In the s the US Air Force used over 1, dogs worldwide. Today, personnel cutbacks have reduced USAF dog teams to approximately , stationed throughout the world. Many dogs that operate in these roles are trained at Lackland Air Force Base , the only United States facility that currently trains dogs for military use. Change has also come in legislation for the benefit of the canines. Prior to , older war dogs were required to be euthanized. The new law permits adoption of retired military dogs. As a partner in everyday military police work, dogs have proven versatile and loyal officers.

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 otherwise not to react at all unless they are commanded to do so by their handler. Many police dogs are also trained in detection as well. Both MWDs and their civilian counterparts provide service in drug detection, sniffing out a broad range of psychoactive substances despite efforts at concealment.

Provided they have been trained to detect it, MWDs can smell small traces of nearly any substance, even if it is in a sealed container. Dogs trained in drug detection are normally used at ports of embarkation such as airports , checkpoints, and other places where there is high security and a need for anti- contraband measures. MWDs can also be trained to detect explosives.

As with narcotics, trained MWDs can detect minuscule amounts of a wide range of explosives, making them useful for searching entry points, patrolling within secure installations, and at checkpoints. The United States has used dogs to intimidate prisoners in Iraqi prisons. Pappas approved the use of dogs for interrogations.

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. 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.

It is believed that the use of dogs on prisoners in Iraq was learned from practices at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. 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 U. Traditionally, as in World War II , US military working dogs war dogs were returned home after the war; to their former owners or new adopted ones.

The Vietnam War was different in that US war dogs were designated as expendable equipment and were either euthanized or turned over to an allied army prior to the US departure from South Vietnam. In , President Bill Clinton signed a law that allowed these dogs to be adopted, [56] making the Vietnam War the only American war in which US war dogs never came home.

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Military working dogs continue to serve as sentries, trackers, search and rescue , scouts, and mascots. Retired working dogs are often adopted as pets or therapy dogs. Army working dog, a German Shepherd , wearing body armor clears a building in Afghanistan.



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A Navy Master-at-arms fires blank ammunition to condition his dog to the sound. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Dogs of War and War Dogs. Post World War II cartoon emphasizing the importance of canines in medical research. Belgian dogs trained to draw machine guns. The Dogs of War!

Hahn's 50th AP K The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, Grant page par. New York, New York: I cani in guerra.

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