I received an email from a British author named Damien Lewis in the early spring of 2010 saying he is interested in writing about military working dogs and asked if I can assist. He sent me links to his previous books and awards he accumulated as an author. We ended up speaking and he asked about my experiences as a dog handler. I responded by saying I think it would be great if he could write a book about the 12 Marine Corps dog teams that deployed to Iraq from March 2004- September 2004 in which my dog, Rex, and I were a part of. Those 12 teams were the first Marine Corps dog teams to operate on the front lines of combat since Vietnam and were sent to figure out how to best train future dog teams to be deployed in today’s combat environments.
He said that could be far too much to research and that he wanted to focus the story on one team. He said he was fascinated in doing Rex’s story with me because he enjoyed how passionately I spoke of Rex and the fact that we operated in an area called The Triangle of Death. He also enjoyed how I described Rex as a huge comfort to me while deployed dealing with the potential loss of my father at the time, who was passing away from cancer.
I was hesitant to do the story for two reasons.
1. I had incredibly demanding hours during that time working with the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Battalion-West assisting wounded Marines during their recovery. I didn’t know if I was going to have the time to do this.
2. I felt uneasy putting my life on public display like that and felt all of our dog teams were worthy of having their story told.
I mentioned these two concerns to Damien and the following conversation took place…
Damien: “How much do you love Rex?”
Me: “I love him to death”
Damien: “Do you think Rex’s story is worth telling and how would you feel if the book brought more awareness to how great military working dog teams are?”
Me: “Rex’s story is definitely worth telling, I tell it all the time because I love him so much and I think it would be great if more people knew about how amazing these dogs are.”
Damien: “Well when do you think you will ever get a chance again to tell his story for all to read and have people love him like you do?”
The rest was history.
Click on this photo to visit the "Sergeant Rex" fanpage on Facebook
Since Damien was on European time and I was in sunny San Diego, Ca. I would wake up almost everyday around 5am and Skype for a couple hours before heading to work. After receiving instructions from our publisher and what they were asking, I took a leave of absence and flew to see Damien to work day and night on the story ensuring he had all of my photos/videos of Rex until we ended up with the final version of the story.
The whole process was very cathartic for me and I am extremely grateful to Damien for his patience and enthusiasm on working on the project. I am also very grateful to Peter Borland of Atria books for falling in love with Rex’s story and giving us the opportunity to publish with them.
At the time of writing this post, Rex is now 10 years old and still serves as a military working dog in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, Ca. There are dozens of working dogs at Camp Pendleton and he is currently the oldest and longest serving dog there.
A military working dog will go through several handlers throughout their career. I had the privilege of being Rex’s first at Camp Pendleton. He is now on his 12th handler. “Sergeant Rex” is only about my experiences with Rex. It doesn’t cover the rest of his amazing career in which he completed two more combat deployments with his then handler Megan Leavey. Like Rex’s first deployment, his next two would be in very hostile areas. During his third tour, Rex and Megan would be wounded in action when Rex located an IED but it detonated before they could escape it. Fortunately the ground took most of the force and the two recovered from their wounds.
It is now proven that dogs can suffer from PTSD just like veterans do and Rex was diagnosed with a mild case of it after being wounded in action and never deployed again. He continues to be very effective at Camp Pendleton as a working dog.
He is one of the most gorgeous looking German Shepherds you will ever lay your eyes on which is why we nicknamed him “Sexy Rexy.” He is also VERY protective of his handler and can become aggressive which earned him the nickname “Tyrannosaurus Rex.” In fact, he is notorious for almost biting powerful people including General James Mattis, former commandant of the Marine Corps General James Conway, President Obama, and even the pilot of Air Force One, among several others.
The reason the book is titled “Sergeant Rex” is because as handlers we are trained to address our dogs as one rank higher than our own rank at the time we are handling them so we treat them with respect at all times. I was a corporal during the time of our deployment in 2004 making Rex a sergeant.
Military dogs have saved thousands of lives in every war they have served in. There are many incredible stories about these heroic dog teams but very few have been told. I have two goals with the book “Sergeant Rex”. (1) I hope everyone who reads it grows to love Rex as much as I do (2) That more handlers will be encouraged to come forward and tell their own amazing stories of their experiences with their dogs.
The urban search and rescue team was sent to the world trade center after 9/11 and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. They’re called Nebraska Task Force 1, and with the help of expert dog handlers they prepare for the worst right here in the Capital city.
In the entire country there are just over 200 of these nationally certified rescue dogs. The Capital city is home to four of them, and if all goes well, another three by next month. The dogs and handlers are hard at work preparing for that test and today we had an exclusive look on their training.
Buried alive after a natural disaster…. this sound (Dog barking)… Could save your life. Dog Handler Damon Wirth says, “What our dogs do is detect live, human scent. If there’s a tornado, earthquake, any kind of national disaster man made disaster we have our dogs here that are going to be in there to locate the people we can’t find.”
It’s part of the Nebraska Task Force One, Urban Search and Rescue Training. Search Team Manager, Steve Dolezal says, “This is probably the hardest thing you can do with a dog”
Firefighter Damon Wirth and his dog George were paired together last winter. He says, “He’s with me 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So you build a really tight bond”
When the dogs find a person, they’re rewarded with plenty of playtime. But they have to learn to do it in some of the most difficult conditions. The dogs are able to quickly search a large and potentially dangerous area… But they have to complete hours of rigorous training first. “Our dogs have to do the agility portion they have to learn the scent portion plus they have to get it up on here plus they have to do it in whatever kind of environment we’re going to get them to.”
Not all the handlers are firefighters but they are all volunteers. And they all do it for one reason. “The chance to be able to save one person, that’s ultimately what we’re here for is to be able to make a difference in one person’s life…if our dogs can find that one person to get at and make a difference in their life down the road I think it’s totally worth the time we volunteer and dedicate to this.”
Three of these rescue dogs training today are actually rescues themselves from an organization in California. The trainers flew out there last winter to get paired up with their dog. If you’re interested in learning more about their search and rescue team you can log on to searchdogfoundation.org or http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/fire/usar/index.htm
date: August 17, 2011 poster: wardogmarine category:therapy dogs
Third Army American Red Cross therapy dog, Luka, a Border-Collie and Labrador mix, relaxes before he visits troops here, Aug. 10. Luka travels around Kuwait to visit service members to lift their spirits from the every day stresses of being deployed. Therapy dogs like Luka helps Third Army troops stay focused on the mission and sustain the fight by providing stress relief through therapy sessions. Photo by Staff Sgt. Shelia Sledge
Third Army American Red Cross therapy dog, Luka, a Border-Collie and Labrador mix, relaxes before he visits troops here, Aug. 10. Luka travels around Kuwait to visit service members to lift their spirits from the every day stresses of being deployed. Therapy dogs like Luka helps Third Army troops stay focused on the mission and sustain the fight by providing stress relief through therapy sessions. Photo by Staff Sgt. Shelia Sledge
Below is a great article about a program at the Wounded Warrior Battalion West – Detachment Hawaii where wounded warriors participate in helping train service dogs. I’m really happy to see more of these programs being implemented and expanding to other medical facilities to help our warriors as they go through the recovery process. I am a huge supporter of these programs as I had the privilege of watching how much warriors benefit from them after having worked at the WWBn – Detachment San Diego Naval Medical Center. It doesn’t take a doctor to tell you interacting with a dog can improve your morale. Thank you Hawaii Fi-Do for supporting our troops!!
Lance Cpl. Joshua Jablon has nightmares from time to time.
Fortunately, he has a new friend he can count on to wake him and offer him comfort when necessary. Through Hawaii Fi-Do, wounded warriors like Jablon are learning to heal, with some canine care.
Since July 15, Marines of Wounded Warrior Battalion West — Detachment Hawaii have been working with specially trained dogs from the local nonprofit organization in an effort to help the mental and emotional healing process for the warriors.
During the six-week program, wounded service members interact
and train with dogs for up to two hours. On average, about six to eight participants come to each session, and as many as 16 can come at a time. The service member must receive a referral from a mental healthcare professional to be eligible for the program.
Military working dog Chyba passed away from pancreatic cancer on Saturday July 30th, she was 12 years old. MWD Chyba lived a long and heroic life, completing multiple combat tours with the U.S. military. She was the inspiration behind the monument at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas, Ca. I’ll never forget having had the honor of meeting Chyba once before and tell her thank you for her service.
What an incredible story behind an incredible organization. One of the grimm realities of war are the psychological issues veterans face when they come home. Dave Sharpe is one of those veterans and almost let PTSD get the best of him by holding a loaded gun in his mouth and was ready to pull the trigger when his 6 month old pit bull named Cheyenne came to his rescue. Dave refrained from pulling the trigger and has since put his energy into helping other veterans dealing with PTSD by providing pets through his organization called Pets 2 Vets. Read and watch the full story below.
For too many veterans, the battles don’t end when they come home from war. Combat stress has no easy cure. But one vet found peace was a lot closer than he thought and now he’s helping others find it, too. CBS News correspondent Chip Reid has his story.
Dave Sharpe calls his pit bull Cheyenne his savior, and that’s no exaggeration. When she was just a puppy, she saved his life
Sharpe served with the U.S. Air Force security forces in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. After two near-death experiences, he returned home with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Before I met her, I was a wreck,” said Sharpe. “I was out of control, I would start fights for no reason.”
Deeply depressed and filled with rage, he decided to end his misery with his pistol.
“[I] cocked it back, put it right in my mouth and I sat there and cried for about a minute or two,” Sharpe recalled. “I was this close to pulling the trigger.”
That’s when Cheyenne, who was then six months old, came to his rescue.
In a press conference Monday morning, the Montgomery Police Department announced that they took in $1.15 million in cash, found in the cargo of an 18-wheeler along Interstate 65. It’s the largest cash seizure on record in the City of Montgomery.
A patrol unit pulled over the tractor trailer for an illegal lane change near the interchange on Interstate 65.
A canine unit, Daisey, is credited for the discovery of the money, that was hidden inside the trailer.
Officers say the driver willingly allowed them to search his truck, but because it’s an open investigation, MPD is keeping most of the details close to the vest.
The police department will be able to keep about 80% of the money, but it has to be used for crime enforcement.
Daisey, the dog who helped find the cash, was also purchased with illegal drug money, seized off the streets of Montgomery.
Ultimate recognition for a police dog that was critically injured in the line of duty. This dog saved his partners life, unfortunately at the cost of losing use of his hind legs. Please help in recognizing this brave police dog’s efforts by leaving a thank you comment to Major below.
Major the police dog and his handler have another award to add to their growing collection.
Major was presented a Medal of Valor from the Minneapolis Canine Unit last night.
The Roseville K-9 was stabbed during a burglary back in November and lost the use of his hind legs.
Since then, officer John Jorgensen has helped get a law passed to increase the penalty for people who injure police dogs.
The award ceremony was part of the United States Police Canine Association’s police dog trials. The Minneapolis Police Department has 12 dog-teams competing.
A great story about a great organization called Helping Hounds located in Pennsylvania. Most of the breeds being used as service dogs and therapy dogs have been Labradors and Retrievers, it’s great to see an English Springer Spaniel being used. To make it even better, it is a rescue dog. Great job by Helping Hounds, please read and share stories like these to help spread the great work rescue dogs can be in helping our veterans!
Service dog ‘saved life’ of Mechanicsburg veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder
When Douglas Maugans is plagued by nightmares of war, he can always count on Tanner to wake him up.
The 5-year-old English springer spaniel presses the touch pad on Maugans’ nightstand with his nose to turn the light on, gets up on his master’s chest and lies there for as long as he’s needed.
Douglas Maugans of Mechanicsburg, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, worked in air traffic control with the Army National Guard. He has a special bond with Tanner, whom he taught to be a service dog with training from Helping Hounds.(Beth Anne Heesen, The Patriot-News)
Two years ago, Tanner became a medical service dog through Helping Hounds, a program sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Animal Alliance of Mechanicsburg, which works out of an airplane hanger at the Capital City Airport in Fairview Township.
Volunteers teach veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to train their dogs.
Maugans saved Tanner from a rescue shelter in New Orleans four years ago, and now Tanner was ready to save his master.
Great interview with Jennifer Lund, the President and Founder of Hero Dogs-”Service Dogs for America’s Heroes.” This organization is doing a great job in providing service dogs to our veterans.
