Honoring K9 veterans

Today is National K9 Veterans Day in the United States. It's an annual observance on March 13, the anniversary of the date in 1942, when the Army started training for its War Dog Program.

Go to Military Working Dog Adoptions for more information on giving one of these retired veterans a forever home.

This is the header for the National K9 Veterans Day Facebook Page, by graphic designer Chris Crawford.

Chris Crawford, the designer of the National K9 Veterans Day Facebook group's composite illustration, added these notes about her illustration:

"The dogs depicted are the Belgian Malinois, Doberman, mixed breed, Labrador, and Husky and, of course, the German Shepherd in silhouette at the bottom. 

The breeds are commonly used working dogs. German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois are the most common working breeds now and in the past. The Doberman was used extensively In WW2, particularly in the Marine Corps, and the Husky and other northern breeds were used to carry equipment and pull sleds in WW2 and during the Cold War. 

The mixed breed dog in the center is Stubby, of WWI fame, but he's representing all the mixed breeds and unusual breeds used by the armed forces and civilian agencies."

I thought I should finish off this post with my all-time favorite tribute to Military Working Dogs and their handlers, by Josh Tannehill. You've seen it on this blog before, but it bears re-posting!

Image created by Josh Tannehill.

These magnificent animals have no choice in whether they will defend our country and our troops--but they give the full measure of their devotion and provide an important force-multiplying factor. We owe it to them to honor them, and make sure they are well cared for throughout their lives.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Tails of a Foster Mom for the "Honor our Veterans" adoption poster-image, to the National K9 Veterans Day Facebook Page and graphic designer Chris Crawford, for the inspirational composite image with the silhouette, and I am deeply appreciative to Josh Tannehill for the "I am the Sheepdog" image. 

Remember K9 Veterans!

IMAGE: Many thanks to Kristen Levine Pet Living for this image. And blessings upon every MWD, working or retired. Good dogs, all!

So, I wrote this book . . . the saga continues.

Anyone who's been reading this blog periodically may have stumbled onto a mention or three about the science fiction novel I've been working on.

To be fair, it's a science fiction universe I've been creating, the physical setting and milieu for a whole series of novels. Any blog posts I've written about future trends, such as last year's series on automation, the DIY Space Station series, first responders, and/or police K-9s, MWDs, or service animals, all have been directly inspired by research aimed at making my fictional world seem more real.

The book's still not published, so, no: this is not a sales pitch. It's more like an update. After the 2016 post that marked the end of an early draft, it went through a series of editorial reviews by professionals I trust, as well as a lot of beta-readers' reviews (note: beta-readers are kind of like beta testers, only for books).

And it underwent lots and lots (and lots and lots) of revisions. As far as the comments from my various critique resources have been going, it apparently continues to improve. I recently sent it off for what I hope is a final round of critiques. Considering the sequel's now almost finished, I'm hopeful I can offer more substantive updates here soon.

IMAGES: Many thanks to the ever-witty Tom Gauld, via Pinterest, for the "Jealous of my Jetpack" picture, to Roxanne Smolen's Instagram Page for the illustrated Phyllis Whitney quote, and to Kathy R. Jeffords for the "2nd Draft Won't Kill You" design and thought.

Never too late to thank K9 veterans!

Well, darn it--I missed it this year. K9 Veterans Day was Monday, on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the US Army K9 Corps. A couple days off or not, however, it seems reasonable to honor the bravery and sacrifices of the magnificent animals who help keep our nation, and its human defenders, safe.

Dogs have been going to war with their humans for millennia, of course. Sergeant Stubby, of World War I fame, was very far from the first, although his story is pretty cool.

So is the story of Rin Tin Tin, arguably the most famous war dog of World War I, thanks to his subsequent acting career.

Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd Dog--still one of the most popular breeds for Military Working Dogs.

Dogs for Defense was an American Kennel Club-associated World War II program that slightly predated the Army K9 Corps, and helped supply its need for dogs. They accepted a wider variety of breeds than we commonly see today--including Alaskan Malamutes and Collies.

Today, most Military Working Dogs and law enforcement canines are German Shepherd Dogs, Dutch Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois, chosen for their intelligence, aggressive natures, versatility, and athleticism.

I don't know about you, but I think it's interesting that all three breeds were originally developed to herd and protect sheep.

Meet Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who helped Seal Team Six kill Osama bin Laden

The famous Seal Team Six dog Cairo, who helped in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, was a Belgian Malinois. These dogs, which are slightly smaller and lighter-weight than, say, a German Shepherd, are often favored by Special Forces.

Liaka, shown here on the job in Baghdad, is a Dutch Shepherd.

What's a Dutch shepherd? They almost didn't make it through World War II, but now they're one of the three top MWD and law enforcement breeds.

Like most MWDs who are retrievers, Cobo the chocolate lab is a tactical explosives detector.

I would be remiss if I did not also mention the many retriever breeds (especially Labrador Retrievers, as well as Golden Retrievers and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers), which are especially prized for explosives detection. Occasionally other breeds also show up, from Springer Spaniels to Pit Bulls. The onetime favorite breed of the USMC, the Doberman Pinscher, is far less often found on the front lines today.

Whatever their breed, however, we owe them a debt of gratitude! We can make our thanks more tangible by supporting organizations such as Save A Vet, which make sure that once their military service is finished, these magnificent dogs can enjoy their retirement in a good home.

IMAGES: Many thanks to QuotesGram for the "Veterans" image. I am indebted to Wikipedia for the photo of Sergeant Stubby and the poster featuring Rin Tin Tin. I am deeply appreciative to Josh Tannehill for the "I am the Sheepdog" image.
Many thanks to the Fedhealth blog for the photo of Cairo. Many thanks to Gizmodo's cool photo essay on Military Working Dogs for the photos of Liaka, the Dutch Shepherd and Cobo the chocolate Labrador. 
And finally, many thanks to Rebloggy's "Top Tumblr Posts" for the photo of the German Shepherd MWD with an awesome superpower.

What do you think? An Artdog Image of Interest

As for me, I vote YES. This photo inspired quite a lot of commentary on my Facebook page, so I thought you might find it interesting to see on my blog.

IMAGE: Many thanks to The German Shepherd Dog Community's Facebook Page for this Artdog Image of Interest. PLEASE NOTE: This blog is mirrored on my new website, Jan S. Gephardt's Artdog Studio. I will gradually start posting everything there, a bit before it shows up here. After the end of 2016 I plan to be posting only there. So if you like my blog, please re-set your feed settings.

Working dogs: Canine enslavement, or a fulfilling life?

Iggies all round: two of mine, plus
two foster puppies.

I've almost never been without a dog in my adult life (and those few months were pretty grim). 

Dogs are easily my favorite kind of non-humans. 

This is perhaps not all that surprising: humans have lived in something of a symbiotic relationship with dogs since prehistory, and our two species have been cohabiting and co-evolving, literally for millennia (since the Neolithic). 

There's actually a pretty good case to be made that, without our dogs co-evolving with us to guard us and help us hunt, haul our stuff, and keep our livestock in line, we humans might not be as successful a species as we are. Indeed, from that perspective people who don't like dogs really seem kind of ungrateful, don't they? 

Couldn't resist this cartoon by Tony Hall, from a National Geographic article about the evolution of dogs and humans.

The ingratitude of humans notwithstanding, one could also debate whether hooking up with humans has ultimately benefitted the dogs. Certainly it has changed them, both outwardly and inwardly--from the way they look and act to what they can digest.

There's also a contemporary debate, among humans who DO value dogs, over whether they should be made to work or not. 

It doesn't exactly look comfortable, but is it animal enslavement?

Some people say that dogs with jobs--even dangerous jobs, such as sniffing out IEDs in Afghanistan--are happier and more fulfilled than dogs whose existence is mostly occupied with eating or sleeping. 

Too little stimulation and interaction can lead to serious problems.

In developed countries today there's a rising tide of difficulties for pets, especially if they're left at home alone for too many hours, and perhaps crated the whole time. They tend to develop issues, such as separation anxiety or neurotic behavior from too much idleness, and obesity that often stems from too little exercise or free-feeding that leads to overeating from boredom. 

Is a domestic pet (unfortunately prone to obesity and separation anxiety) really better off?

Please review that list I made above: guarding, hunting, hauling (sleds, travois, carts), and livestock-keeping. Those are all jobs that dogs have done for ages . . . and it's probably because some of their earliest ancestors more or less "volunteered" for those jobs. I don't buy into the idea that humans were so brilliant they could look at wolves out in the wild, and intuit that they could be domesticated to do all those jobs.

Some partnerships are a natural outcome.

No, the natural capabilities of dogs, and their basic nature--combined, I am convinced, with the bonds that develop between individual humans and the individual canines who live with them--led the members of both species to stumble, together, onto the idea of the dogs doing these jobs.

Resource Guarding: it's a Dog Thing.

Dogs are naturally territorial, "resource guarding" creatures--and we humans definitely fall into the category of "resources" for most dogs. From there it's a short step to a role as "Head of Ranch Security." Hunting and herding also stem from things dogs do naturally, even without humans around. 

On duty or off, a dog needs a purpose in life. Just like people do.

I guess you can tell I place myself into the category that thinks dogs benefit from having a mission in life. And now, if you'll excuse me, my personal trainer Jake (the tan-and-white IG in the front of the top photo) tells me it's time for a walk (of course, he's just doing his job . . . ). 

Do you have any "working dog" stories to share? please put them in the "Comments" section below!

IMAGES: Many thanks to my daughter Signy for the photo of me in my favorite recliner with four Italian Greyhounds. Many thanks to National Geographic and cartoonist Tony Hall, for the "campfire moochers" image. Many thanks to the HumorHub Subreddit, for the "Wolves Once" image, to Pete Somers' Pinterest Board for the "holstered attack dogs," to Stamp Right Up's Pinterest Board for the "bored so took up scrapbooking" meme, and to Dog Medicine Info, for the photo of the bored dog. Thank you to Darwin Dogs for the "Shepherd/Sheepdog Conspiracy" image, to Boredom Kicker's Pinterest Board for the unworried kid with three German Shepherds, and to Payton Phillips' Pinterest Board for photo of the Gizmo-snuggling terrorist-hunter. It's been a pleasure finding these images, and I greatly appreciate their creators!