Military veterinarian teams keep working dogs in top shape
Published on May 18, 2026
OHIO — During National Police Week, many military bases around the country are hosting events to honor the service of law enforcement officers and Security Forces personnel, including the skills of the special team members on four paws.Behind every military working dog at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, like almost 9-year-old Kkaun, is a trusty partner like his handler SSgt. Stephanie Swisher.
When it comes to keeping the dogs in great shape and mentally sharp, there is another crew of veterinarians working behind the scenes.
“I love it. I love what I do,” said SPC Meiling Durzinsky.
Durzinsky has been an animal care specialist for over six years.
“I actually chose the Army because it’s the only branch that has practicing veterinary missions. So Air Force has veterinarians, but with the Army, we get to actually do hands-on with the dogs. And that’s why I picked my job,” she said.
Military working dogs require very special care.
“They’re essentially tactical athletes, so we check for a whole lot of different things. Hips are one thing, semi-annually we do radiographs of their hips and we also do blood work and things like that annually to make sure everything is up to par and looking good on the inside,” Durzinsky said.
It’s not just making sure the dogs perform well on obstacle courses, but that they’re medically ready for the daily grind of patrol, vehicle searches, sweeps, and any deployment missions that come their way.
“We focus a lot on their nutrition and we focus a lot on preemptive care and conditioning,” said Durzinsky.
“Usually it’s him and I riding along in a patrol car, doing detection, walking around the base, keeping everything secure,” Swisher said.
Along with checking hips after all the jumping every day, Durzinsky also focuses on their paws.
“Totaling up to two hours of detection in an eight-hour shift,” said Swisher.
The dogs need to stay ready for anything.
“That’s our primary job; outside of deploying and providing the base with security and detection is secret service missions,” Swisher said.
Swisher and Kkaun have been together for secret service missions all around the world, protecting presidents, vice presidents, and first ladies.
“We couldn’t do it without them. They are 95% of the team,” said Swisher.
“They are also just such loyal and hard working animals and they will always put their life on the line for their handlers and the mission and I just think that is so admirable,” Durzinsky said.
Several law enforcement agencies from around the region participated in the military working dog and Defender demo.
This was the last competition for Kkaun and Swisher.
They’ve been working together for a year and a half and both will be retiring in the near future.