Here Are 10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Military Dogs

Here Are 10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Military Dogs

As dog parents, we know how difficult it is to train our dogs to teach them basic commands and tricks. We understand it’s difficult for our dogs too, but can you imagine how difficult it is for military dogs who have to struggle to earn their place as heroes of the nation?

They train very hard, so much so that sometimes even the handlers are left amazed at what their talented dogs can do. We would like to pay tribute to these canine heroes by sharing some facts you probably didn’t know:

  1. K9s were not recognized or given hero titles until World War II despite being in every combat with soldiers during all major conflicts
  2. These dogs are trained in bomb, weapon and drug detection. They can even track them and attack the enemy.
  3. Today there are over 2,500 dogs in active service and about 700 are deployed overseas.
  4. Over 85% of active K9s are brought from Germany and the Netherlands
  5. A fully trained bomb-detecting canine is worth over $150,000. So these dogs are quite valuable.
  6. Only 50% of dogs complete their training
  7. Not all K9s are German shepherds!
  8. Just like humans, even K9s get PTSD.
  9. They’re heartbroken if their handler passes away
  10. Until November 2000 after retirement, military dogs were either euthanized or abandoned

Is there anything we missed out? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay

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