Dogs In Combat
There is a special relationship that can be forged between man and dog, seen so many times in cases such as “Spot” in America, and “Hachiko” in Japan. I was emailed this story by Jean Ai, one of my students, who thought I may be interested in a story about a dog’s loyalty.
In Afghanistan today, there are many Military Working Dogs on “duty” to protect and serve, such as by detecting the roadside bombs planted by opposing forces to maim and kill. Where technology fails, canines fill the gap by providing the skill and safety needed in the critical field of bomb detection.
Termed Military Working Dogs, one such dog is Eli, a black labrador, who stood guard over his partner, Private First Class (Pfc.) Colton Rusk, when he was shot in Afghanistan by a Taliban sniper. Even Marines who rushed to Rusk’s side were initially kept at bay by the snarling Labrador, who had been Rusk’s inseparable companion through training and then deployment to this dangerous place.
Most Military Working Dogs do not make it back from duty, and when the conflict is over they are euthanized. For Eli though, there is a happy ending. Out of gratitude for his loyalty to their son, Darell and Kathy Rusk, Pfc. Rusk’s parents, with the support of Marine brass arranged to adopt Eli and take him to their ranch in Orange Grove, Texas, near Corpus Chirsti.
This story reminds me of my Mumu, who protects my assistants while they sleep. Mumu is not a fierce dog, but while Monlam or Kb are sleeping, he watches over them. While they are sleeping, never shake or push Monlam or KB when Mumu is nearby. He will growl and bark if he thinks you are trying to hurt them. Mumu is a very sensitive and smart, I love my Mumu.
I found this clip on YouTube where Eli is adopted by Pfc. Colton Rusk’s family:
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BombDogAdopted.mp4
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-war-dogs-20110208,0,2560562.story
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Due to their keen senses, incredible loyalty and astonishing bravery, army dogs are an essential part of the military. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for human beings in disasters area and so forth. Military dogs have fought alongside American forces in every conflict war and they have saved thousands of people.
These dogs are specially trained by military personnel for their tasks.
To me those combat dogs are silent heroes who protects and serve their owner.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these post and the happy ending short video of dog adopted by the fallen fighter’s parent.
Dear Rinpoche, I just found out that Mumu will protect KB and Monlam when they are asleep. It is so cool! I wish I have a dog like Mumu and Hachiko. They are so obedient and you know that they would never bite someone else that they don’t know. So eventually if my friend comes over to my house, my friends will have to worries about petting them.
This is the first time I have read about this, I didn’t know anything about Military Working Dogs. It’s also sad to know that most of them will be euthanized after returning from ‘duties’. I don’t think that it’s fair to the dogs, they have just finished their duties and the next thing they know, they will be euthanized. So sad..
But on the other hand, it’s also great to know that Eli was adopted by the Rusk’s family. May they live happily together.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Wow, this is so cool. I never knew that a dog could be of such a good use in the army. And this here is another reason how dogs are loyal to their owners. But in here, it has gone to the extend that the dog has even joined in the army to help its owner and to work with his owner, in and out of the battlefield. I find that really cool.
If dog can risk their lives in order to save their owner, then why can’t we risk our life to protect our dog. Is it our life is more precious than dogs life? The answer to that is no, all lives are the same. Just because we can think better does not mean that our life is more precious than other living beings. So please show respect to other animals by becoming a vegetarian. Thank you for reading
“Most Military Working Dogs do not make it back from duty, and when the conflict is over they are euthanized.” This statement is no longer true! Amazingly enough, very few MWDs are KIA and when they return and are retired they are put up for adoption!