To all the Veterans who have risked their lives in service of their country and citizens, we say “thank you”!
During times of war, pets bring comfort and military dogs offer protection and loyalty to the soldiers they call family. Here is a collection of photographs of soldiers with their dogs, the dogs they met while on active duty and the dogs that served alongside them in combat.
Wartime records show 20,000 dogs helped front line soldiers in First World War. They helped transport munitions and wounded soldiers.
Some of the dogs that helped were Red Cross dogs. They were trained to search the battlefield and trenches and pick out who among the men were wounded or dead.
The dogs were trained to make their search at night, unattended, navigating the terrain quickly and soundlessly. Barking to alert could potentially draw enemy fire, so if the dogs found a wounded man, they knew to pull off a piece of cloth or a loose helmet and carry it back to their handlers so a rescue attempt could be made.
A war dog located a wounded man and is taking his hat as identification and means of bringing aid.
A small puppy wondered up to U.S. Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 6th Marines, in Marjah, Afghanistan on ****. After following the Marines numerous miles, a soft hearted Marine picked the puppy up and carried the puppy in his drop pouch.
Photo credit: Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl Charles T. Mabry II
Donny Eslinger was serving in Afghanistan when he stumbled upon as a puppy and knew he had to adopt him. He named the dog Smoke and carried the pint-sized puppy around in his backpack. Just a month later, Donny was seriously injured in a mortar fire attack and was flown back to the U.S. to recover. But Smoke had to stay behind. But thanks to a community effort, they were reunited.
Rip was a stray dog adopted by a British air raid warden unit after being bombed out of his London dockland home in World War II. He went on to rescue more than 100 people from from the rubble caused by air-raid in London. Apparently, they couldn’t stop him becoming a search and rescue dog – it seemed he did it for the enjoyment.
Young Marines fighting in the Pacific during WWII formed strong bonds with their dogs. The dogs helped sniff out enemy soldiers and greatly aided the Marines’ efforts.
Bing, became the first dog in WWII to be parachuted behind enemy lines. He landed in France with his handler sniper Jack Walton on D-Day. The dog is credited with saving hundreds of servicemen from ambush. He was awarded the PDSA Dicken Medal – the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross – for his services to Britain and retired with Walton after the war.
U.S. Army Sgt. Bethzabe Delgado, Right, Prepares A Dog To Receive An Iv During A Subject Matter Expert Exchange For Military And Police Dog Handlers In Tumaco, Colombia
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl Tyler Hoffman And His Military Working Dog, Khaki, Perform A Routine Security Halt In A Field During A Patrol In Marjah, Afghanistan
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Cody Whitis A Military Working Dog Handler And His Dog Gracie Rest At Forward Operating Base Geronimo Afghanistan.
This military dog was spotted at the airport, protecting her soldier as she sleeps.
At the funeral ceremony of Petty Officer First Class John Tumilson, his dog Hawkeye walked up to the casket and dropped down with a heaving sigh in front of about 1,500 mourners. Loyal to the end, he refused to leave Tumilson’s side during the funeral. The touching moment was captured in a photograph taken by Tumlison’s cousin Lisa Pembleton.
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A soldier spends time with his dog in a Florida airport before being deployed.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessie Johnson, 3rd Infantry Division Military Working Dog Handler, Practices Placement Training With Her Dog, Chrach.
‘America’s Battalion’ Marines patrol central Garmsir. DVIDSHUB
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