June 30, 2005
The Dogs of War
For two and a half decades, police in the turbulent Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have been battling Maoist insurgents. Now, according to a Reuters article, Pradesh-ian pups are helping out:
Police in the turbulent region are using rice and meat to lure and befriend street dogs after the barking of one helped them fend off an attack by rebel fighters this week....
I started reading up on battlefield dogs and found a pre-Iraq war newsletter describing the lives of working dogs in the US military. These doggies are helping keep us safe!
Today [late 2001 - ed.], Army and Air Force military dogs are deployed in the Balkans and in Southwest Asia, serving as sentries and explosives detectors. In other missions, they may also be called upon to support the U.S. Customs Service or Drug Enforcement Administration in counter-drug activities and even the Secret Service when extensive President travel or a presidential political campaign overwhelms that agency's own four-legged assets.
I feel compelled to mention here that, since that terrible time, dogs have appeared alongside prisoners in certain controversial photos I won't link to or even think about here.... Enough said. I do not want to besmirch the character of our fine pups in uniform....
LINK: [Reuters AlertNet]
LINK: [deploymentlink.osd.mil]
posted by miranda at 07:58 PM