‘Soldier Dogs’ and their handlers

Author Maria Goodavage helps tell the story of military dogs, their handlers and the bonds between them in her book “Soldier Dogs.” Here, Goodavage discusses the story behind the photos.

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Lex L479 is the kind of dog I’d want at my side in a war situation. This Belgian Malinois is as smart as they come, loving, protective, experienced and super loyal. Every night on a long mission last year in Afghanistan, he would sneak out of the tarp-covered foxhole he shared with his handler, Marine Sgt. Mark Vierig, and stand guard over him through the night -- often in torrential rains.

Marine Sgt. Mark Vierig /

You don't have to be a big dog to be a soldier dog. Lars J274, a Jack Russell terrier with a Napoleon complex, is the perfect size for sniffing out bombs in submarines. It was fun following Lars and his handler, Navy Master at Arms 3rd Class Cameron Frost, into the USS Norfolk. Judging by the laughs and comments ("Fear the terriers!"), the submariners we encountered were more used to seeing German shepherds do this job. Of course, getting a shepherd down into a sub is no easy task.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul D. Williams / U.S. Navy

Lars was supposed to be a drug dog, but there was a mix-up at dog school, and he got trained as a bomb dog instead. That suits him fine. He's a self-confident, assertive dog and has a detectable swagger -- at least when he's not being picked up so he can sniff for explosives in upper bunks.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul D. Williams / U.S. Navy

Marine Cpl. Max Donahue and Fenji M675 bonded as soon as they met at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, six months before this photo was taken. What you see in this photo is what you'd see if you were lucky enough to be walking behind them on a mission (here in the Garmsir district of Afghanistan). The nose of a good bomb dog far surpasses any technology available for detecting makeshift bombs. The team saved countless lives together, with Fenji's nose leading the way.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Chris Willingham

When I met Fenji, I was drawn to her because she was wearing dog goggles, a.k.a. Doggles. She needed them to protect her eyes because of an eye condition. But she didn't like them. Almost the entire time I was interviewing the Marine who was with her, she was trying to take off the Doggles by rubbing against him and everything around them in catlike fashion, or by pawing at them. But when she went to work, her focus was entirely on the job, not the Doggles.

Maria Goodavage

While at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio -- where most dogs and handlers receive their training -- I got to witness just how dogs are "inducted" into the military. It’s definitely more intense than the induction of new human recruits, because nearly all dogs have surgery shortly after they arrive. Females get spayed, and medium-to-large dogs of both sexes have an operation called a gastropexy, which prevents the fatal effects of a syndrome called bloat. Here, a canine "draftee" wears a bucket -- the military's version of the civilian Elizabethan collar -- to keep him from interfering with the surgical site.

Robin Jerstad

I had no idea when I was standing around Lackland's training area watching handlers "catch" dogs that I would end up with my arm inside a sweaty bite sleeve waiting to "catch" a Belgian Malinois who was barreling toward me in attack mode. This surprising experience plays out in a chapter of Soldier Dogs titled "I Try Not to Notice the Blood."

Robin Jerstad

I love this photo. It shows the "doggy" side of these canine combatants. When they're not working, many of them seem so much like regular pet dogs that they become beloved reminders of home. Military working dogs tend to get lots of love and attention from the troops they're with. Here, Ajax L523 clearly enjoys donning his handler's hat after getting his teeth brushed during some downtime on deployment.

Air Force Staff Sgt. James Bailey

Dogs on deployment often share their handlers' bunks and even sleeping bags. Being together nearly 24/7 deepens the already incomparable bond. In this photo, Air Force Staff Sgt. Christine Campos relaxes on her cot with her dog, Bico F544. Campos gave me the quote that opened the book. "Military working dogs are amazing in every aspect, and even more so when you realize that they risk their lives and save yours, all so they can have a ball." There’s a double meaning to that.

Staff Sgt. Christine Campos

I met up with this taxidermied version of World War I canine hero Sgt. Stubby at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The U.S. military's dog program didn't start until World War II, but Stubby’s owner smuggled his pit bull over to France by ship. He intended for the dog to be a mascot and companion to the troops, but Stubby ended up saving many lives because of his brave feats. Seeing him 85 years after he drew his last breath -- and with his lips looking Herman Munster-ish -- was rather surreal.

Maria Goodavage

This photo from World War II's Battle of Peleliu is a favorite of former Vietnam dog handler Robert Kollar. To him there’s something about the handler, Marine Cpl. William Scott, and his Doberman pinscher, Prince, that captures everything about the bond between wartime handler and dog. If you look at the photo and let it sink in, you can see what he means.

National Archives

Rex L274 may look big and bad, but he's only big. Rex didn't make it as a patrol dog because he was too gentle. "If you were playing and you acted as if he bit you, he'd let go and look all sad," says his handler, Army Sgt. Amanda Ingraham. But she knew he would put his life on the line to protect her. Their story is an incredibly poignant one. I don’t choke up easily, but this one got me.

Army Sgt. Amanda Ingraham

More than anything, Ingraham -- seen here on a mission with Rex in Iraq -- remembers the companionship he provided her and the other troops. "He'd always find the one soldier who was having a hard day and hang out with them." In my research for "Soldier Dogs," I spoke with numerous canine cognition experts and scientists to try to get to the bottom of this uncanny ability.

Army Sergeant Amanda Ingraham

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kristopher Knight, right, who runs the incomparable Inter-Service Advanced Skills K-9 (IASK) course at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, is a character like no other. He's gruff, funny, smart and super strong, and his commanding officer calls him "the smartest and most amazing man on the planet to train dogs." He truly "speaks dog" and cares about them big time. He'll kick your butt at this predeployment training in 115-degree summer heat, but it's because he wants to see you and your dog come back alive. In this photo, he gives Navy Master at Arms 2nd Class Joshua Raymond tips on working his dog off leash.

Maria Goodavage

Raymond and Rex P233 work off leash for the first time, under Knight's guidance. Off-leash bomb detection is a life-saving capability that enables dogs to follow their noses better, and it keeps handlers and others farther from explosives. It's not something formally taught to standard patrol explosive detector dogs, but Knight is doing what he can to change that.

Maria Goodavage

"If this doesn’t prepare you for Afghanistan, nothing will," Air Force Technical Sgt. Adam Miller says of the IASK course. On this blazing 114-degree summer afternoon, Miller had to carry his dog, Tina M111, to safety after she was "shot" during an exercise. He later told me the scenario -- complete with realistic ammo and mortar sounds blasting all around -- was so real he actually felt as if he were in Afghanistan. But for her part, Tina seemed very content to hitch a ride. This photo is one of my favorites.

Jared Dort

Air Force Staff Sgt. Brent Olson was awarded a Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan. Blek, who was also injured, received nothing. Military working dogs do not officially get commendations. "Dogs are soldiers, too. They give up their whole lives for this," Olson says. "Not to be recognized officially is a slap in the face." Legislation in Congress now (the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act -- H.R. 4103, S. 2134) would, among other actions that would help military dogs, call for some kind of recognition of particularly deserving dogs.

Sgt. Jeffrey Alexander / U.S. Army

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