The Dogs of War Are in High Demand
Published on August 28, 2017
After sending hundreds of canines to post Sept. 11 battlefields, the Pentagon is buying robot pooches to help train medics.
War is hell for almost everyone who gets near it. This includes animals—especially the hundreds of dogs the U.S. military has sent to serve alongside soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere since Sept. 11. Now, the Pentagon is taking steps to make sure more of them come home.
The armed services have had dogs since about day one. At the moment, roughly 1,600 Military War Dogs (MWDs) are either in the field or helping recuperating veterans. That’s approximately one dog for every three U.S. soldiers currently in Afghanistan.