September 11, 2001, changed the world forever—and once again, it was the U.S. War Dog that made the difference on the battlefield between life and death. The U.S. military was caught off guard and had to rebuild its War Dog program.
I was fortunate to serve as a Special Operations Forces (SOF) K9 handler. Unfortunately, I lost my first Combat Assault Dog (CAD), Marco, and was then assigned CAD Duco, a Dutch Shepherd. Duco was not the dog I wanted at the time, but he proved to be the best SOF K9 I ever handled.
I am alive today because of these two dogs and many others throughout my combat deployments. In my opinion, SOF K9s are the biggest combat multiplier on the battlefield. To learn more about Duco, go to https://www.warhogg.com/in-honor-of-duco
This article is Part 5 of a five-part War Dog Series. You can read Part 1, which covers the history of war dogs through World War I, here, Part 2, covering World War II here, and Part 3, covering war dogs of the Cold War here.
Robby’s Law
In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed into law (10 U.S.C. 2583) that Military Working Dogs would no longer be euthanized after service and could instead be adopted—first by their former handlers, then by law enforcement and government agencies, and finally by private citizens. However, the law did not change the classification of War Dogs; they remained “equipment” despite their handlers recognizing them as what they truly are—teammates and lifesavers.
The Law is named after Military Working Dog Robby, whose handler wanted to adopt him and made numerous attempts to do so. Sadly, Robby was euthanized, but his handler would make sure this never happened again to another handler.
GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR
The Global War on Terror (GWOT) once again saw the majority of the military playing catch-up, lacking a robust War Dog program. Special Operations quickly saw the value of the war dog on the battlefield and started a Multi-purpose War Dog program in the Special Operations Command. The attrition rate of these specially selected and trained war dogs was around 90%.
These dual purpose, explosive detection and apprehension, mostly Belgian Malinois with some Dutch and German Shepherds have had incredible results on the battlefield. The number of lives these dogs have saved will only be known to God, but I can tell you firsthand I have had my life saved on numerous occasions because of these incredible teammates.
These dual-purpose SOF K9s were instrumental in clearing enemy compounds, searching for explosives both en route to the target building and post assault, and chasing down the bad guys that ran out of the enemy structures. When searching for enemy combatants who ran to hide, the K9’s nose was the key instrument to find these individuals.
The SOF K9 could operate day or night, jump tandem out of airplanes with their handlers, fast rope out of helicopters, ride in vehicles, or fly with the assault force in helicopters to an enemy location.
Knowing the capability of the K9’s nose and with the increasing number of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), the US Military launched the Specialized Search Dog (SSD) to find these hidden devices. Labrador Retrievers were the most common breed of the SSDs. They were known as single-purpose or detection dogs. Trained to detect explosives, they typically walked in front of a military element, alerting their handlers to explosive odors before troops could trigger a device. Their efforts saved countless lives.
TREATED LIKE ONE OF THE BOYS
Talking from the US Army Special Operations side, we treated our War Dogs just like one of the boys. They were listed on our manifests, and if they were wounded, medevac aircraft were called in. U.S. trauma surgeons—not veterinarians—performed surgeries that saved their lives. Back at base, the dogs brought a sense of normalcy to a dynamic environment. People often wanted to hang out and pet them. We learned over time that you could have a social dog that would still be a beast on the battlefield.
Notable War Dogs
The vast majority of War Dogs’ actions will never be known except to the men whose lives they saved. However there were some SOF K9s whose actions received national attention.
Army SOF K9 Conan is best known for the Barisha Raid in Syria on October 27, 2019, which led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS) terror organization.
Conan chased al-Baghdadi down into a tunnel where the terror leader detonated his suicide vest, killing himself and three children. Conan was injured during the raid due to exposed live electric wires, but recovered and returned to field duty shortly after.
On November 25, 2019, President Trump honored SOF Conan at the White House.
SEAL SOF K9 Cairo was involved in Operation Neptune Spear, the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Cairo’s role in the raid solidified the importance of SOF K9s in elite missions. Will Chesney, Cairo’s handler, wrote a book about Cairo named No Ordinary Dog.
US Army Ranger SOF K9 Layka was wounded while apprehending an enemy combatant. During the engagement, she was shot and ended up losing her front leg.
SOF K9 Memorial
The SOF K9 Memorial Foundation was created to memorialize fallen Special Operations Forces canine heroes killed in action. Wanting an appropriate place worthy of the honor to house the memorial, the Foundation chose the grounds of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, NC, near Fort Bragg.
Sculptor Lena Toritch was commissioned to create the statue and paid painstakingly close attention to detail to make sure that every part of the dog is lifelike, to ensure that the memorial is worthy of its cause.
The Memorial is located at the front of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, around the Iron Mike Circle, with the canine positioned to face Iron Mike and the museum’s main doors, as though he’s a sentry standing guard over the legends of the airborne and special operations.
At the base of the statue is an inscription dedicated to the dogs’ constant vigilance. Beneath the inscription are stones, each etched with the name of an SOF K9 that gave his life in the line of duty. The SOF K9 Memorial at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum was dedicated on 27 July 2013.
The inscription below the bronze Belgian Malinois reads: CONSTANT VIGILANCE – The bond between a SOF handler & his K9 is eternal, trusting each other in a nameless language. Here we honor our SOF K9s that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Unfortunately, the SOF K9 Foundation dissolved in 2024, and control was passed to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM). In my opinion, the ASOM has fulfilled the memorial intent by allowing non-SOF K9s that were not killed in action to have pavers placed at the memorial.
For a list of SOF K9s Killed In Action go to https://www.warhogg.com/sof-k9s-killed-in-action
Retired Military Working Dogs’ Health Care
Sadly, retired U.S. Canine Service Members receive no health care benefits. The burden falls on their handlers, even though many dogs suffer service-related conditions. Thankfully, several organizations step in to help cover what the federal government should.
In our final part, we will talk about some of these amazing organizations – Rick and War Dog Duco
