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Friday, May 6, 2011

The REAL Foot Soldiers!



We canines got some real good press this week when the news broke that a dog was part of the special ops team that went into Pakistan. Me and Jack are feeling mighty proud of being working dogs. I have to try not to grin too much when someone says to Mom, “I didn’t know Airedales could be service dogs or police dogs.” Mom has to try not to growl when that happens.

Airedale Terriers have been fighting alongside two-legged soldiers since the early 1900s. We’ve rescued wounded men from battlefields, we’ve tracked enemy combatants, and we’ve even learned to sniff out and detonate land mines.

We’re some of the toughest soldiers to be found, in fact, our high pain threshold is what really makes us good candidates for military service. We were bred to focus on our job to the exclusion of all distractions and we can ignore just about any level of pain long enough to fulfill our duty. Why, there was one Airedale named ‘Jack” who was a messenger for the Red Cross during WWI. He had to go through half a mile of enemy fire to get a message to Headquarters. When Jack got there, his jaw was broken and one of his legs was in splinters. He delivered that message though. And then he died.

Airedale Terriers were real popular during the Wars. And after the wars, we went to work for police and security forces all around Europe. Several American Presidents had ADTs in the White House, too. Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolige and Warren Harding! President Harding even had a special chair made for his ADT so he could sit with him during important Cabinet meetings. Obviously a man of discernment and wisdom.

Now, Mom says the dog that jumped from the helicopter with the special ops troops the other night was most likely a Belgian Malinois and not an Airedale, but that’s okay by me. There are almost 3000 canine soldiers in the United States military and I’m proud to be associated with each and every one of them!

AAARRROOOOOOOO!


2 comments:

Ms. A said...

Woofs, wags and friendly butt sniffs, to canines everywhere! Extras for service dogs, military or otherwise!

Chana Meddin said...

Well, that IS something to AAARRRROOOO! about
except guinea pigs go:"WhEEEEEEk!"
so: WHEEEEEK! & BOOyA!