They're classified only as "equipment," but the military dogs who serve alongside our troops overseas are much more than that. Not just to the soldiers, but also to the people who adopt them after their service is done.
10-year-old Barry is a Belgian Malanois and served 150 missions in Iraq. He was trained from birth by the Department of Defense to work off leash alongside the troops.
"They would take barry and he would clear the path, he would clear buildings they were going to enter into, warehouses, he can sniff out buried mortar, caches of weapons and things," said his owner Cathy Hill. She adopted Barry after he finished his tours.
Barry is a Specialized Search Dog. "They estimate that each dog in theater saves approximately 200 lives," said Hill. But, these dogs can suffer from PTSD just like the troops, and Hill said that Barry used to get especially anxious during monsoon storms and the Fourth of July Fireworks.
But the military classifies these dogs as "equipment," so they don't get any special designation and are not considered veterans. Hill said these dogs won't even be shipped back to the United States by the military.
"They could be a jeep, or a truck, or a tent, or a sleeping bag in terms of how they are treated when it's time to muster out," said Hill.
But, since 2000, these Military Working Dogs (MWD's) have been adoptable by civilians, and that has helped get more of these dogs taken care of once they leave the service. And when Hill adopted Barry, she never expected him to help her so much with her hearing loss.
"He's also calming to me because when you don't hear, you're worried about missing things or somebody is going to come up behind you, or you're not going to get the lay of the land correctly, but with him, I just feel everything's fine."
And to Hill, Barry means more than just an extra set of eyes and ears. "To me, it was just an honor. I can't adopt a vet, and I come from a long line of military people, but having the opportunity to do something for someone that was over there...it's an experience of a lifetime, and something you will never forget," Hill said.
If you'd like more information on how to adopt a Military Working Dog, click HERE.
