In Iraq & Elsewhere, Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Soldier On

Trained to Sniff Out Roadside Bombs, Canines Are Often Soldiers' Best Friend

SAN ANTONIO -- When he came to, the Marine's arm hung lamely. It was broken by ball bearings hurled so hard from a suicide bomb that they embedded themselves in his gun as well as his body. Yet Brendan Poelaert's thoughts quickly turned to his patrol dog.

The powerful Belgian Malinois named Flapoor had served him as partner and protector for the past four months in Iraq. Now the dog staggered a few steps along the Ramadi street, then stared blankly. Blood poured from his chest.

"I didn't care about my injuries, my arm," his handler says. "I'm telling the medic, 'I got to get my dog to the vet!' "

About 2,000 of these working dogs confront danger alongside U.S. soldiers, largely in the Middle East. Able to detect scents up to a third of a mile away, many sniff for explosives in Iraq. Their numbers have been growing about 20 percent a year since the terrorist attacks of 2001, says Air Force Capt. Jeffrey McKamey, who helps run the program.

In doing their jobs, dozens of these dogs have also become war wounded -- scorched by the desert, slashed by broken glass, hit by stray bullets, pounded by roadside bombs.

Their services are so valued that wounded dogs are treated much like wounded troops. "They are cared for as well as any soldier," says Senior Airman Ronald A. Harden, a dog handler in Iraq.

Their first aid comes out of doggy field kits bearing everything from medicine to syringes. Some are evacuated to military veterinary centers hundreds of miles away, or even to Germany or the United States for rehabilitation. Many recover and return to duty.

On the day of the Ramadi blast in January 2006, Poelaert, trained in veterinary first aid, began care as soon as he and Flapoor were loaded into an SUV. He pressed his finger to the dog's chest to slow the bleeding. .

When they reached the base camp, a medic with veterinary training took over, starting Flapoor on an IV. Poelaert departed reluctantly for his own surgery.

Flapoor would eventually go to Baghdad, where he received additional treatment for his punctured lung and stomach wounds. He would later rejoin his handler and fly in a cargo plane to the United States for physical rehab.

Healing under the California sun at Camp Pendleton, Flapoor is pretty much back to normal: fast, friendly, eager to please. But some things have changed. "He's really jumpy around loud noises now," Poelaert says.

Dogs take their basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, where they learn to tolerate the crack of gunfire and sputter of helicopters. They are trained to sniff for explosives on command, freezing and staring at suspicious objects.