On K9 Veterans Day, honor heroic military working dogs for saving soldiers’ lives

Published on March 12, 2018

Tuesday is K9 Veterans Day, when we honor canine heroes like Azza and the thousands of other dogs who have served alongside our troops. Ordinary Americans can help give these dogs the recognition they deserve by observing this day. Extraordinary Americans can support efforts to reunite them with their handlers after their tours of duty are over.

Working dogs in the American military date back to the country’s founding when Benjamin Franklin recommended their use.They will “confound the enemy,” he wrote, “and be very serviceable.” Since then they have served in nearly every American war. During the Civil War they were used as messengers and guards. In World War I, Sergeant Stubby, one of history’s most famous war dogs, saved American fighters from mustard gas. War dogs sniffed out Japanese positions in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Nearly 4,000 dogs served in Vietnam, saving 10,000 American lives. Read More