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Post by dirtdiver on Mar 16, 2013 19:02:49 GMT -5
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Post by eagle on Mar 16, 2013 20:11:12 GMT -5
Thanks... just pre-ordered one. Looks like it will be a good book.
I had a lot of correspondence and conversations with a couple of people related to their dogs, and doing what I could to help at the time. . One was a woman we wanted help to get her dog, and they were saying they were going to euthanize him, "unsuitable" for normal living enviornment. She had been thru every channel and had no luck. This dog, considered old, was a bomb detection dog. He wasn't suppose to be 'working' and supposed to be taken out of sequence, but they filled in a few extra days at the camp gate in Iraq because something got held up somewhere.
The other two dogs didn't detect anything on the truck at the gate. The guard felt something was 'wrong', just "felt it".. and the driver was acting nervous. So, she then took her dog around the truck, and he went 'nuts' (her words). She hadn't seen a reaction out of him like that before. They kept re-trying, thinking he was old and had to be wrong, but she had faith he wasn't, not with the reaction he was showing. He was 'hitting' on the gas tank. An Officer was very disgruntled by it all and was telling them the dog was old & worthless, and this was all useless effort, etc. becaue the other dogs hadn't hit on anything.... and there was NO way this dog could sense anything in a gas tank. (She was very aggravated by this officer and had complete confidence in her dog and that something was there). Finally, they decided they weren't going to take a chance and began to tear down the truck in that area and to pull the gas tank.
The gas tank, seemed "full of gas". Then they discovered. It was one huge bomb inside of it .. mounted inside the gas tank and then literally surrounded by gas, to hide the scent, detection, etc. This dog had smelled the bomb... surrounded by 'gas'. They said, it was one of the biggest bombs they had seen anyone try to sneak in and it would have wiped out anything anywhere near it, and probably would have killed numerous people.
The dog was retired at the end of "that" day, and the Military did decide he should be euthanized. She decided to fight for the dog, and long story short.... the Military got so much pressure on them, she was allowed to take the dog home with her.
Was also involved in another one, very long story, where the military would not classify the dog as adoptable and no one could get them to budge. The handler wanted to keep the dog. I ended up applying and pushing .... knowing somewhat how the chain works.... (LOL) and got them to approve "ME " to adopt the dog. Well, if he was Ok for me to adopt , then...... and was able then to get it approved for the handler to make the adoption.
Great dogs. Anyone interested in adopting one, I can give you some of the sites, links, etc. to adoption applications, info on dogs, etc. and other good contacts. Good family dogs. Some are good at detecting bombs and the scent of gun powder (LOL).
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Post by dirtdiver on Mar 16, 2013 23:11:42 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing the stories. And especially for helping to take care of the dogs. It always makes me sad for both the handler and the dog when for some dumb gov't red tape reason they don't get to keep the dog. I enjoyed your stories with happy endings!  Random side note: My dog Gunny is great at finding socks anywhere in the house  LOL But he and his brother amaze me whenever we shoot a couple rounds from the shotgun in the backyard - 20 acres - and they bring the shotgun wads back to the house that same day - and they are inside whenever we shoot. That's Gunny in my avatar - his brother looks almost exactly like him. |
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Post by eagle on Mar 17, 2013 2:55:00 GMT -5
What breed is he ?
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Post by dirtdiver on Apr 3, 2013 5:48:25 GMT -5
He's a Belgian Tervuren with a little bit of Border Collie sprinkled in.
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Post by eagle on Apr 5, 2013 16:32:53 GMT -5
Reminded me of Border Collie, or Australian Shephard.
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LOL