War Dogs

Some start like this, as cute puppies in the Military Working Dog Breeding Program on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

DoD photo by Linda Hosek

War dogs are not new. They used them in armies thousands of years ago. These are US Army paratrooper rescue dogs being trained in 1944.

U.S. Office of War Information photo

This is Rambo, an explosive detector dog assigned to the U.S. Air Force 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron chomping on a soldier for training.

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo

Dog and US Army Special Forces soldier jump to the sea off the back of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez

These dogs are trained with positive reinforcement conditioning techniques. They truly love it.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Storm

Two buddies resting. Explosive hunter dog Troy and U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Derrick Magee on a patrol break in Afghanistan.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Storm

First military dog-human tandem airborne jump from 12,500 feet.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Vince Vander Maarel

Parachute opens!

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Vince Vander Maarel

You take your dog around the block. Senior Airman Stephen Hanks takes Geri around Sather Air Base's perimeter, where he pees on tanks' threads.

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo

Staff Sgt. Erick Martinez carries Argo III over his shoulder. It's an exercise to build trust and loyalty between them.

U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Allen Stokes

Apparently, being carried makes dogs very happy. This is Reyana on Senior Airman Beaun Clegg's back.

U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Gina Chiaverotti-Paige

Not all war dogs are German shepherds. Here's eight-year-old explosives sniffer Springer after a helo ride.

Image by John Moore/Getty Images

Dogs wear goggles too to protect their eyes. They actually call them doggles. Seriously, that's the actual name. The dog's name is Rico.

U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Elizabeth Rissmiller

More doggles action, because there's never enough doggles action.

U.S. Army photo/Pfc. William Servinski II

This is Panzer and US Army veteran Brad Schwarz, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. Panzer is not a war dog, but a service dog who helps war veterans.

Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images

War dogs like to jump through car windows, just because they can.

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stacia M. Willis

Rangers and a multi-purpose war dog being awesome in the dark.

U.S. Army photo

Mack and Senior Airman Gregory Darby. Just bonding.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt Stan Parker

War dogs love tennis balls. This is Coba, a 3-year-old chocolate lab and tactical explosives detector dog.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher M. Gaylord

Meki hoisted up to a medical evacuation helicopter in Alaska. War dogs are treated just like their human buddies.

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew T MacRoberts

War dogs even give blood to save their fellow canines. Here's Carly M745, a security forces K-9 being sedated to have blood drawn on July 3.

US Army photo by Tech. Sgt. Caycee Cook

War dogs die too. Rony was a patrol dog for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden before dying on March 8, 2012.

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Vanessa Valentine

Liaka, a Dutch shepherd, quietly receiving instructions from her handler on a mission in Hadar, Baghdad.

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Frantom

Search and rescue dog Ronnie high-fiving U.S. Air Force Capt. Greg Auerbach, an KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft instructor pilot with the 54th Air Refueling Squadron.

DoD photo by Senior Airman Leandra D. Stepp, U.S. Air Force

Two airedale terriers, one wearing a special gas mask and the other carrying rations for a wounded soldier in World War II.

Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

When they are done with their mission, war dogs need to extracted too. Here are some Navy SEALs demonstrating a Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction with one of their dogs.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Harding