Staff Sgt. Cacy Wyatt, 72nd Security Forces Squadron, and military working dog Timo demonstrate how the MWDs are capable of attacking on command. A demonstration featuring the dogs, held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 12 at the Tinker Exchange, will be part of 2014 National Police Week, May 12-16. Military working dogs are trained to go on patrol, detect explosives and sniff out drugs. (Air Force photo by Kelly White)
There are nine dogs on the 72nd Security Forces Squadron K9 team. They are well trained to protect their handler, safeguard the installation and detect drugs, weapons and explosives.
Military working dogs also have a terrific ability to stop an aggressor in his tracks with pure intimidation and terror that can only come from a 95-pound snarling beast with teeth capable of inflicting excruciating pain. That’s not to say the human defenders aren’t capable of intimidation, and instilling terror, they’re just nothing like a dog.
Tinker’s four-legged heroes are often called on to deploy in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. They have also received multiple orders to support the United States president, vice president and other important leaders, according to Staff Sgt. Dwight Veon, 72nd SFS Military Dog Handler.
Working dogs have been a part of the military since 1942, and are still playing an active role in military operations. In 1965 the Air Force prepped 40 handler and dog teams at Lackland AFB for missions in Vietnam. The Air Force Security Police Dog Training School was later formed in 1967 at Lackland AFB in Texas.
The program at Lackland has grown to include the Air Force Security Forces Center, Army Veterinarian Corps., training and a breeding program. More than 500 dogs are trained annually at the training center.
The 120-day training program for the dogs covers everything from basic obedience to more complex skills such as how to attack and to sniff for specific foreign substances.
A dog’s nose is 5 to 10 times more sensitive than the nose of a human. Thanks to that keen ability, countless lives have been saved by the dogs finding bombs or explosives, making them an invaluable part of the security team.
Military working dogs are still classified as equipment, though there is a bill to reclassify them as military so they could receive benefits. According to Lackland Air Force Base spokesman Gerry Proctor said, “While there is a proper, legal classification for a working dog, we know they are living things, and we have great respect and admiration for them. A handler would never speak of their dog as a piece of equipment. The dog is their partner. You can walk away from a damaged tank, but not your dog. Never.”
Sergeant Veon and Staff Sgt. Brett Jones both agree. They said that here at Tinker, the dogs are like family. Handlers spend a lot of time playing with the dogs and strengthening the bond.
“The working dogs deserve our respect,” Sergeant Veon said. “They stand to defend the U.S. and its people at a moment’s notice, only asking for the love of their handler in return.”
— Information compiled by Kimberly Woodruff, staff writer