“Dogs on Duty” by Dorothy Patent.
Walker and Company, New York, 2012, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
Dog books have a fascination for readers of all ages. Many people can still remember being introduced to dog stories through classic works of fiction such as “Where the Red Fern Grows” or “Old Yeller.”
In recent years, numerous books have been published on dog breeds and work done by dogs. Dorothy Patent is a premier writer of nonfiction in many different fields. This starred review by Booklist, the outstanding children’s literature magazine is one of her recent works. “Dogs on Duty” tells the story of the history of dogs in military service and how dogs are being used today to assist soldiers in the battlefield and police officers in the line of duty.
Dogs have been used by the United States military since World War I. During that war, a dog named Stubby became a national hero because of his outstanding feats in the trenches of France. Having been trained to bring one paw over his eye in a salute, Stubby became very popular with the American soldiers. He could sense when attacks were coming before any of the soldiers were aware of them. This advance warning saved many American lives. He was wounded in combat and carried on heroically. After the war, Stubby lived out his days as a decorated war hero. Other famous dogs from different conflicts are also described.
Next, Patent takes readers into the training procedures for today’s military dogs and the types of dog breeds that are most useful in the armed forces. Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio is one of the primary training centers for Military Working Dogs (MWDs). The dogs are trained for weeks on end in all types of situations. Some dogs are actually trained to parachute into hostile zones with their handlers. Others use their highly sensitive senses of hearing and smelling to detect hidden bombs and harmful packages. To teach the dogs perseverance, they are given a toy named Kong to carry for long periods of time. Their handlers then hide Kong and the dogs will begin searching through rooms and concealed places for the toy. This teaches the dogs to look for things in unusual places. This allows them to learn to scent and search for hidden objects. In combat situations this frequently saves the lives of soldiers. During the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some MWDs were trained as Specialized Search Dogs (SSDs). The SSDs could literally smell out explosive devices and each dog was estimated to have saved 150 lives by the end of their tours. The book concludes with a great deal of interesting information on which breeds, such as German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, work best as MWDs and the many environments in which the military uses these animals.
If you have ever wondered about the uses of dogs in the military, this is the ideal book for you. Patent is a fine writer and keeps reader interest with her high action prose. The photographs in the book are compelling as we see the dogs working in military situations ranging from desert conditions to arctic winters. The short snapshots of famous dogs from various wars will grip a child’s interest. So if you want to read a fun, interesting and educational book, go to the library and check out, “Dogs on Duty” by Dorothy Patent. You will be glad you did.
