It has been a while since we spent part of a weekend admiring those wonderful animals called “dogs” — more specifically our military working dogs.
Whether called military working dogs, or four-legged warriors or, as in the case of their more gentle brethren, therapy dogs or comfort dogs, these creatures always bring a little joy to my day. Hope they do to yours, too.
Lisa Hodgden, an Air Force athlete, and her military working dog, Boston, share a moment during a wheelchair basketball session at the adaptive sports camp at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., April 4, 2016. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Max Soto, left, and Staff Sgt. Jahmal Hardy practice patrol training with Nero, a military working dog, on Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Jan. 27, 2016. Soto and Hardy are working dog trainers assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. The training is aimed in part at apprehending and locating suspicious individuals. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Terrica Y. Jones
Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Gonzalez carries military working dog Rango on Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Nov. 18, 2015. Gonzalez is a military working dog handler with the 56th Security Forces Squadron. Military dog handlers train to make sure they can carry both a full ruck sack and their dog in the event of an injury or if the dog becomes too tired to move. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Hensley
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Bobo, a military working dog, picks up the scent of aircrew members of a simulated aircraft crash as part of Blue Chromite 16 at the Central Training Area on Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 28, 2015. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tyler Giguere
Staff Sgt. Joe Burns and military working dog, Ciko, assigned to the 673rd Security Forces Squadron, conduct K-9 training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 17, 2016. The security forces Airmen conducted the K-9 training with their Army counterparts, assigned to the 549th Military Working Dog Detachment, to keep their teams flexible to respond to law enforcement emergencies and for overseas deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Alejandro Peña)
An Air Force sergeant leads Rea, a military working dog, through an obstacle course on Vance Air Force Base, Okla., Jan. 11, 2016. The airman is assigned to the 71st Security Forces Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by David Poe
Marine Corps Cpl. Jared Royce returns from a patrol with military working dog Hugo during Steel Knight on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 12, 2015. Steel Knight aims to prepare Marines and sailors with the 1st Marine Division and adjacent I Marine Expeditionary Force units to operate as a fully capable Marine air-ground task force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Will Perkins
Zeus, a U.S. Air Force military working dog assigned to the 97th Security Forces Squadron, waits for commands from his handler, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Wesley Cox, during obedience training at Altus Air Force Base, Okla. (Dod photo by Senior Airman Lausanne Genuino/Released)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Erick Martinez, a military dog handler, carries Argo II, his military working dog, over railroad tracks at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. This exercise builds trust, loyalty and teamwork between Martinez and Argo, who have only been working together for two months. DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Allen Stokes.
Read more about military working dogs here and about therapy dogs here.
Have a great weekend.
Lead photo: Cano, a 4-year-old American bulldog, watches a pass-in-review ceremony on the U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., Jan. 15, 2016. Also a service dog, Cano holds a “Bravo Zulu” sign, a naval signal for “well done.” U.S. Navy photo by Sue Krawczyk
All photos and captions: DoD
