I woke up this morning to see that another United States Army military working dog handler was killed in action in Afghanistan this past Tuesday, September 2nd. Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez from Weidman, Michigan.
I was able to get in touch with his wife, Laura, and wish her my condolences. She mentioned that everyone knew him as “Rod” and that “150″ was the nickname he used on his Jeep Forum website. She also mentioned that his specialized search dog “Jacko” did not make it as well. To Rod and Jacko, thank you for your service and making the ultimate sacrifice, you are true heroes and patriots. To Laura and family, God bless.
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A soldier from Weidman died Tuesday in combat in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced late Friday.
Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, a military policeman, was killed in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his patrol came under small-arms fire, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.
Rodriguez was a dog handler for the military police. He was assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, Ansbach, Germany, according to the Pentagon.
There was no word on the fate of Rodriguez’ dog.
According to postings on Internet forums, Rodriguez, known to his friends as “150,” loved Jeeps.
His wife’s MySpace page Friday night showed a slide show of Rodriguez with his family, his dog, of the two in action in Afghanistan, and included a photo of a makeshift military memorial erected in his honor. It also included a blog entry of a poem titled “Guardians of the Night,” celebrating the strength and courage of a military working dog.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Ana Kalay is in central Afghanistan, in a remote, mountainous region about halfway between Kabul, the capitol, and Kandahar.
Rodriguez is the 18th member of the military with Michigan ties to die in Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom began nearly seven years ago.
His wife made this fantastic slide show of him if you want to view more photos, click here:
Slide show for Sgt 1st Class Gregory Rodriguez
Visit the “Fallen Handlers” category to see other military working dog handlers who have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
I love coming across great videos like this one that shows the behind the scenes training of how dog teams are made. This video looks like it is a little bit older, maybe from the 90′s or 80′s, but it is still very enjoyable. Anyone interested in being a police dog handler or involved with K9′s at some level of law enforcement or security would find this video entertaining as well as anyone interested in taking a quick peak into the training of a police dog team. The agency in the video is the Connecticut State Police.
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photo provided by Smith family – Palmetto Police Corp. Tom Smith and police K-9 Talon in 2005 with 50lbs of seized cannabis discovered by Talon. Talon was retired in July after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he continues to live at the Smith family home in Palmetto. Talon participated in 694 arrests during his 6.5 year-long law enforcement career with Smith. Photo courtesy of the Smith family.
By GRACE GAGLIANO - gagostin@bradenton.com from the Bradenton Herald
Work is much too quiet these days for Cpl. Tom Smith.
The thunderous bark of the partner that accompanied Smith at work for the past 6½ years is gone.
Now, the 10-year veteran of the Palmetto Police Department is back to working shifts alone.
Smith’s shifts with Talon ended this summer when the 8-year-old dog was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Smith took Talon to a veterinarian July 15, expecting to hear of hip or elbow problems.
Instead, vets found anaplastic sarcoma that had already spread into Talon’s lymphatic system.
“For some reason, I was never thinking cancer. I was thinking we could work him a couple more years,” Smith said. “Then this came out of nowhere.”
The partner who’s assisted Smith in 271 felony arrests and 423 misdemeanor arrests is retired from police service and spending his final days with Smith and his family.
Talon’s duty now is to enjoy life as a full-time family dog with Smith, his wife, Cindy, and their three sons Alex, 19; T.J., 14; and Brandon, 12.
The Smiths have the family dogs they’ve chosen – a pug and a Japanese chin – and Talon, the German shepherd that was born in Europe, bred as a police service dog, sold to the Palmetto Police Department and assigned to Smith in 2002.
In turn, Talon also was assigned to Smith’s family then, as police dogs are required to live with their handlers.
Having a live-in K-9 concerned Cindy Smith, as a mother.
Talon’s razor-sharp teeth can easily put blood blisters on the limbs of someone brave enough to get in a bite suit used in training.
“When we first got him I wasn’t so sure, being that he’s trained to attack, about what kind of situation we were getting ourselves into,” Cindy said. “But right away, I saw he’s so loving and very sociable and took to our family right away.”
A photo album dedicated to Talon shows his family side and police service.
There’s a photo of a young Talon with a death grip on a bite suit and one with him proudly posing next to 50 pounds of marijuana he located at the post office.
At home, there’s a snapshot of Talon with the Smiths on Christmas, and one of him towering over their pug, Kirby, and Japanese chin, Precious.
pvidela@bradenton.com – Palmetto Police Corp. Tom Smith his recently retired police K-9 Talon. Talon was retired in July after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he continues to live at the Smith family home in Palmetto. Talon participated in 694 arrests during his 6.5 year-long law enforcement career with Smith. PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com
“Talon has not just been a great police dog but he has been a super family pet,” Tom said. “He’s always there when you need him.”
In return, the Smiths are there for Talon.
“Retirement has been hard on him,” Tom said.
When Tom’s at work, Cindy comforts Talon, who howls and paces for his handler.
“He’ll lay by the door and wait for Tom to come home, and every once in awhile he’ll remember why he’s upset and cry and howl again,” Cindy said.
Alex makes sure Talon gets his exercise, T.J. takes him for walks, and Brandon lets him lie at the foot of his bed at night.
“You go through all the memories of him, and you wonder what life is going to be like without him,” Cindy said.
Grace Gagliano, Bradenton city reporter, can be reached at 748-0411, ext. 2620.
pvidela@bradenton.com – Palmetto Police Corp. Tom Smith’s recently retired police K-9 Talon, at center, poses with Smith’s sons, from left, Alex, 19, Brandon, 12, and Thomas, 14. Talon and the other two affable Smith pooches Kirby, at left, and Precious live happily together, with the occasional squabble over prized chew toys. Talon, however, is the only dog in the family who can claim 694 arrests over a 6.5 year-long law enforcement career. PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com
-I wish you a long lasting retirement Talon, congratulations on a wonderful career and thank you for your service.
From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune
By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
MONTEBELLO – There’s only one way to sum up a police department career that involved 1,100 searches, 400 drug busts and numerous apprehensions: “dog tired.”
Ares, a Belgian Malinois K-9 working for the Montebello Police Department, has done all that, his handler said.
Sadly, a knee injury has forced an early end to Ares’ career. He will live out his golden years with handler Cpl. Rick Money.
“I am going to miss everything about it,” said Money, who will no longer be a handler. “I love being a handler – the patrols, searching and training. Every bit of it was great for me.”
The police department currently has two trained dogs and is searching for Ares’ replacement.
That might be a tall order because Ares was trained for patrol and narcotics duties. He can sniff out marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine as well as find and apprehend people.
Money said the K-9′s finest moment on the force is when he stopped a gunman from shooting at his fellow officers.
“The bad guy was hit and he dropped his gun,” Money said. “He was reaching to pick it up when Ares bit him and pulled him away.”
The Montebello K-9 Association, a nonprofit organization, helped pay for reconstructive knee surgery for Ares. He is currently healing and should be fully functioning in about five months.
Money is thrilled Ares can remain part of the family but said he will miss his partner.
“It was a great and I loved it,” Money said. “It is very sad that it ended so abruptly.”
-I wish Ares a happy and long lasting retirement.
During his deployment, Zzarr uncovered more than 5,000 pounds of explosives used in the manufacture of Improvised Explosive Devices. (Photo by Master Sgt. Tim Volkert)
Multinational Division – North PAO
MOSUL, Iraq — On his last day of duty at Forward Operating Base Marez, Sgt.1st Class Zzarr seemed excited with the Soldiers hovering around him at the 3d Armored Cavalry
Regimental headquarters June 5.
Zzarr was about to receive and Army Achievement Medal, a reward for his service to the Army during his deployment. Zzarr was responsible for discovering about 6,000 pounds of explosives in hidden caches around Mosul.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Dee, Zzarr’s handler, puts the K-9 through his paces at Fort Eustis.(Photo by Keith Whitteaker)
As the Soldiers stood at attention and the orders were posted, Col. Michael Bills, commander of the 3d ACR, bent down and pinned the AAM on Zzarr‟s collar. Instead of a salute, Zzarr enthusiastically offered a paw, wagged his tail, and wanted to play.
Zzarr, a three-year old Dutch Sheppard, is a military working dog assigned to the 221st
Military Police Detachment stationed at Fort Eustis, Va.
The dog‟s trainer, Staff Sgt. Kevin Dee, said Zzarr specializes in searching for explosives. During the past year in Mosul, the dog was credited with finding three major caches, one of which included 1,200 pounds of explosives that was going to be used in a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
The dog‟s discoveries have saved countless lives by “finding things the (human) eye can‟t find,” he said.
“The military working dogs are extremely well trained and adept at discovering these caches. The „finds‟ remove these weapons from the hands of the enemy and decrease the resources they have to use against us,” said Maj. Parker Frawley, planning officer for the 3d ACR. Frawley‟s mother, Starline Nunley, and the Gem City Dog Club in Dayton, Ohio, also recognized the value of the dogs on the battlefield and have been sending a variety of items for the working dogs to ensure they have all the necessities and some creature comforts while deployed.
Zzarr was one of 15 military working dogs in 3d ACR‟s area of operations that work daily with the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces to find hidden explosives and other weapons and keep them from making it to the streets.
“These MWDs have been extremely useful in our daily combat operations,” said Capt. William Nance, commander of Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d ACR. Nance worked with Zzarr and other MWDs regularly as the Heavy Company, 3rd Squadron, 3d ACR commander during the first six months of the regiment‟s deployment to Iraq. “They can cover more ground, faster than human search teams and have been instrumental in clearing sites for COP builds, as well as quickly clearing a building during a raid. This speed allows us to spend less time on the objective, keeping everyone safer.
“That and they‟re a lot of fun to have around the CP before and after missions,” Nance added.
With the award pinned on his collar, Zzarr received a multitude of congratulatory pats on the head from the Soldiers. This attention is well-deserved for the dog. After all, Zzarr is the one digging around in the dirt and roaming through buildings looking for explosives, said Dee.
“He does all the work. I have all the fun,” Dee said.
This is a short compilation video of a soldier spending time with the military working dog unit at Camp Victory Iraq. The screaming like a little girl part is at .38 seconds into the video. It’s funny because a lot people will be macho and say they are not afraid of catching a working dog. But when they see that dog coming after them like a bullet, it can cause funny reactions.
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Fantastic video here about the CBP(Customs and Border Patrol) Canine units and how valuable they are in protecting our borders. These canine teams showed off their great abilities for the Secretary of the Department for Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. These dog teams are “dual detection” dogs. Traditionally, dogs have been trained in one specific field such as narcotics or explosives. However, these dogs are trained to locate illegal narcotics and concealed humans. As you will see in the video the dogs are trained to respond passively, which usually means they will sit next to what they find rather than scratch and bite at the area. Responding passively is a better way to train the dogs because it limits property damage and injury to the dog. Also, if there were an explosive wired to the narcotic or vehicle, then a passive response will keep the dog from accidentally setting off a bomb.
People don’t realize how vital these k9 teams are until they learn that the dog teams are responsible for locating millions of dollars worth of narcotics and currency.
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The Peruvian National Police has decided that their police dogs must follow the rules of engagement just like their handlers and must use their paws first to try and apprehend a suspect and then bite them if that doesn’t work.
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This video tribute is mainly about the war dogs from WWII, specifically those that served in Guam, but has references to all war dogs that served. This video was made by Marianne-thank you for showing your appreciation to our unsung heroes.
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With the dog squad on the scent escaping justice is unlikely.
By NICOLA WILLIAMS – Eastern Courier in Auckland, New Zealand | Thursday, 28 August 2008
The 32-strong specialist team based in Ellerslie has the ultimate job for dog-loving police officers, using their four-legged colleagues to catch crims.
German shepherds are chosen for their combination of skills.
They are bred at Trentham in Wellington and training starts when the pups are eight to 10 weeks old.
Sergeant Dave Templeton says food treats are used to reward the pups when they obey commands.
At six months they go to a two-week puppy training course before fulltime training with a handler.
“Training never ends. When they are operational there is a whole raft of ongoing training to keep them up to speed,” Mr Templeton says.
They learn to track scents by following pieces of food.
“It’s then made harder and scenario-based,” says Mr Templeton.
Each handler’s working companion is also their pet.
“They are a very close member of the family. They blend in well at home and are pretty social,” officer in charge Peter Pedersen says.
He says you can see how much they love working as they leap enthusiastically into the van for each shift.
FIONA GOODALL/Eastern Courier
ON FORM: Senior constable Chris Harris puts his dog Marsh through his paces.
The dog squad attends about 7000 incidents a year.
Vacancies are few but when they arise they look for officers with at least two years’ policing experience and a love and affinity with animals, says Mr Pedersen.
The officers describe it as a hugely rewarding job.
“I like catching crooks and the ones you can’t catch the dogs can,” says Mr Templeton.
The dogs eat a high performance diet like an athlete and have an average working life of about seven years.
They have distinctive personalities with different strengths and weaknesses.
Despite being trained identically they end up tracking in different ways, each having different attributes that make them more suitable for certain sorts of jobs over others.
When on a lead the dogs pull stronger and faster when the scent is fresh, so police know the person has recently been in the area and might still be near by.
They also have specialist narcotics and explosives detector dogs.
A recent development is using dogs to track blood.
Chemicals have a destructive effect on samples and dogs are able to find blood without contaminating the sample.
“It’s an evolving field internationally,” says Mr Templeton.
“If it’s got a scent you can teach them to find it,” he says.
Mr Pedersen says during demonstrations a dog will be given the command to chase and bite the arm of someone posing as an offender and the next minute be friendly and receptive to pats from children in the crowd.
The job is a dynamic career that doesn’t feel like work because their love of dogs makes it more like a hobby, he says.
