Not All Vets Wear Boots: K-9 War Veterans, Don’t Forget About Them

Humans aren't the only ones who serve and protect the United States from foreign threats.

In fact, did you know that war dogs have been used in combat within the United States military for every single major war? Dogs have been serving in the military for decades, yet weren't recognized for their service until the 2000s. It was only recently that the dogs stopped getting abandoned or put down once their service term expired.

Truth be told, using dogs in battle has been a thing here in America for well over 100 years, if not more. According to BarkPost, a base in San Antonio has been training dogs for combat since the late 1950s. Not just German Shepherds, either.

Get our free mobile app

German Shepherds and Labradors are known for their gifted abilities for sniffing out drugs and bombs and such, but there are a few breeds that are now being outfitted and trained for military service. While yes, they each go through quite a rigorous training program to prepare them for what they'll see, that's not to say that there's no bond that forms between the dog and his or her handler.

Quite the contrary, in fact. Apparently, dogs, like their human soldier counterparts, can also experience PTSD and show signs of extreme loss and loneliness if a handler is lost in battle.

Once their time to serve has come to an end, the dogs' handlers and their families have first dibs on adoption. If passed up at that point, then the dog is offered to families in which there is someone serving in some type of law enforcement. It's only after those avenues have been exhausted that the route for a non-service family to adopt would be explored.

For more information on USA war dogs, click HERE.

Source: post.bark.co