War Dogs
Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
*A New York Times bestseller*
A compelling look at the important role that dogs have played in America's most recent military conflicts, replete with the touching stories of individual dogs and their handlers/soldiers
Under the cover of night, deep in the desert of Afghanistan, a US Army handler led a Special Forces patrol with his military working dog. Without warning an insurgent popped up, his weapon raised. At the handler's command, the dog charged their attacker. There was the flash of steel, the blur of fur, and the sound of a single shot; the handler watched his dog take a bullet. During the weeks it would take the dog to heal, the handler never left its side. The dog had saved his life.
Loyal and courageous, dogs are truly man's best friend on the battlefield. While the soldiers may not always feel comfortable calling the bond they form love, the emotions involved are strong and complicated. In War Dogs, Rebecca Frankel offers a riveting mix of on-the-ground reporting, her own hands-on experiences in the military working dog world, and a look at the science of dogs' special abilities--from their amazing noses and powerful jaws to their enormous sensitivity to the emotions of their human companions.
The history of dogs in the US military is long and rich, from the spirit-lifting mascots of the Civil War to the dogs still leading patrols hunting for IEDs today. Frankel not only interviewed handlers who deployed with dogs in wars from Vietnam to Iraq, but top military commanders, K-9 program managers, combat-trained therapists who brought dogs into war zones as part of a preemptive measure to stave off PTSD, and veterinary technicians stationed in Bagram. She makes a passionate case for maintaining a robust war-dog force. In a post-9/11 world rife with terrorist threats, nothing is more effective than a bomb-sniffing dog and his handler.
With a compelling cast of humans and animals, this moving book is a must read for all dog lovers--military and otherwise.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Though she's is a senior editor of special projects at Foreign Policy, Frankel's weekly column about war dogs in the same publication is clearly where her heart lies; she shares her admiration for them in this frequently fascinating study of their role in the military. Dogs have been used in war for centuries, more often in more to take live than to save them, but their uses are many: they alert troops to danger, seek out bombs, send messages in hostile environments, and provide therapeutic comfort to veterans. Frankel explores all of these roles and more, explaining what makes dogs uniquely suited for these tasks, and shares numerous vignettes of dogs (and their handlers) in action, from training to deployment. Frankel's stance on military's use of dogs is far from passive. She is highly critical of the U.S. Army's indifferent attitude to the effects of war on the dogs themselves, some of whom return from the field irrevocably changed and suffering from a canine version of PTSD. Her passion for her subject matter and deep appreciation for the dogs is heartwarming and inspiring throughout. Military aficionados as well as dog lovers will learn from and enjoy from this study of canine commandos and the service people who count on them.
Customer Reviews
👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿
Great book! It helps me escape the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also very addicting to read that when I say that I will read until the next chapter, I end up reading 4 more chapters. Ver great book. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Great Read
This book should be required reading for all our politicians that push this country towards war. These dogs of war and their handlers are the unsung heroes of the world.
Great read!
Great book. Kudos to the author writing about MWD's. MWD's definitely do not get enough recognition.