Dogs at War: Military Canine Heroes

Take a look inside

Throughout history and into the twenty-first century, dogs have worked in war zones, carrying messages, scouting, guarding, and searching for weapons. Today, they work in every branch of the military, guarding their handlers and helping them find explosives, drugs, and enemy combatants, among other tasks. The dogs are carefully selected, trained, and deployed. They are treated for any medical or psychological wounds they may sustain, and if they survive the battlefield, they are eventually repatriated, sometimes but not always reunited with their original handlers. Learn about the US Military Working Dog Teams National Monument at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Meet the dogs and the handlers who work together as a team under extraordinary wartime circumstances.