They have been given a bigger role and better equipment. Body armor, specialized harnesses, cameras, and light just top the list. Our canine friends are a larger part of the military effort than ever and are on the verge of becoming standard for many units.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/war_dog?page=0,0

Pity.

Sue

Maybe a pity ... but i was just thinking the other day that a few military dogs wearing body armor would be a really serious weapon on the battlefield. I wouldn't want to mess with them.

Pete #2

Thank God for them. They have saved my life before. They are treated very well also, and receive high honors for bravery and a nice retirement with the family of their handler for many.

As opposed to how we otherwise treat dogs?

I don't want to anthropomorphize dogs but the stories involving dogs sacrificing themselves to save humans are legion. Dogs who fight bears to save their master, tiny dogs who jump burglars, police dogs that jump gunmen without any instruction.

Seems many dogs are genetically, if not behaviorally, predisposed to being sensitive to their master's desires to the point of self-sacrifice. For them it is their place and job. Kind of like firemen running into a burning building. In that context, assuming the category allies at all to the psychology of dogs, I doubt that the dogs themselves wouldn't consider it a "pity".

IMO dogs are in an intimate genetic and behavioral dance with humans, and have been for something along the lines of four thousand years. Humans wouldn't have prospered so well without dogs, we may have learned organized hunting form dogs, and dogs have benefited from their status as pets and partners in work.

It's a Shame the word Pity is used regarding Dogs in The Military!Goes to show how people say things in order to get some Attention,Even if it's Negative Attention.Military Dogs save Lives,EVERYDAY!They are Heroes as much as their human counterparts are!God Bless our Military!

I'm not sure it is so cut and dried. Sue didn't elaborate on the reasoning behind and meaning of her comment. I don't always agree with her but she seems reasonable and caring. I'm also not insensitive to the numbers of animals injured and killed serving what would seem to be a situation of short term military significance. In fifty years will the lives, human and animal, and treasure spent in Iraq and Afghanistan be deemed worthwhile? Was Grenada, Panama, Vietnam worth it? Does that change over time? It is what it is and nobody at the time was entirely free to say yes or no.

Better if none of the animals, two legged or four, had to be injured or killed. But dogs would seem to be particularly well qualified for certain jobs.

Pity.= cut & dried!Pity with No period,Now that leaves the door open!Our ability to even have the internet is solely derived from Military Significance!Art you Failed to mention WWII,The Korean War-It's been over 50 yrs since,Do you feel those wars were Insignificant?Art are you going to Live 50 yrs,to see whether there is/was significance,long or short term to Vietnam,Grenada,Panama?If you are Not going to stand behind our troops,Then why don't you stand in front of them!

Whoa! Lets all keep in mind that if all the dogs in the world were gone tomorrow humans would still exist and do just fine. They are useful in some circumstances but they do not drive cars, perform heart surgery, or even talk. Lighten up guys.