Mending Military's Injured "Canine Heroes"

(CBS)  Since 9/11, the Defense Department has tripled the number of dogs the military uses to protect and assist U.S. troops here and abroad.

Just like humans, those four-legged soldiers get injured in the line of duty.

And now, reports The Early Show's resident veterinarian, Dr. Debye Turner Bell, there's a new facility to treat the canine heroes.

There are few warriors as gung-ho as military dogs, according to Capt. John Farmer, a canine operations officer. He told Bell, "These dogs are designed to go down range and keep our troops alive and, as far as we have advanced with technology, it still can't replace what these dogs do and bring to the fight."

Farmer helps run the world's largest military dog training center, at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas. "If that dog can get into harm's way and keep that soldier, sailor, airman or marine safe, then the dog's done its job," he says.

During the Vietnam War, military dogs played a major role as sentries, Bell says. Today, dog teams are used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan to search out explosives. There are 1,000 m military canines in the U.S. and more than 200 helping overseas.

But if the dogs become casualties themselves, many are brought to the brand new, $15 million dollar veterinary hospital at Lackland, specifically designed to treat them.

"We have the capacity to take care of these more complicated cases and a larger number of cases," says Col. Bob Vogelsang, the hospital's director.

He adds that the diagnostic equipment there is comparable to what you'd find in a human hospital, including a CT scanner, which provides 3-D images of a dog's internal anatomy so real, it virtually gives veterinarians X-ray vision.

The facility "certainly" reflects how vital the military dogs have become, Vogelsang says. "These dogs have become so important during the last seven years (that) if we didn't have a facility like this to take care of them, we would just be letting them down, because they give us so much in return."

In Vietnam, injured war dogs were often euthanized or left overseas. But today, they can have a full career and long life even after being injured in combat.

Vogelsang says they're indeed heroes, "just like any other service member who has helped in the war on terror. They certainly have endured hardships that the rest of us haven't. They really are the quiet warriors. They are out there doing their thing every day, just because they want to please us. So certainly they all are heroes."

One dog handler who's been deployed twice with his canine partner told Bell the bond between them is indescribable. Bell says he told her he'd rather to go war with his dog than a human "hands down" because he put his life in the dog's hands/paws, and he comes through every time.

[dunboo]

There has actually been a veterinary hospital for the military working dogs since 1968. This segment covered the new facility that recently opened to replace the old, antiquated facility. It was long overdue and much needed!

[dlacivita]

I recently signed a petition to help bring a dog named "Ratchet" home from Iraq. The dog, at the time was only a puppy, who was rescued by a Sargent in the Army and he was her lifeline for the last 15 months of an extended tour in Iraq. The Military''s practice of destroying dogs still exist! The story read that at least 36 dogs have been put down when it was not necessary, when there is an organization that flys to Iraq to bring these Healthy, Loving, Companions home at NO Expense to the Government!!! They may not be Military Trained Canines but they are "JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED" for the love and comfort they give to Our Military Men and Women fighting for us in a land so brutal and far away from home. A found and rescued dog or cat is the best, and better yet, FREE Therapy, that would cost the Military THOUSANDS in medical care if a soldier comes home with Post Tramatic Stress Disorder.It would be nice if You "CBS" did an investigation of this... How the Military treats Rescued Canines and their relationship with the Soldiers and what happens when the soldier leaves... Without their Dog!!??!! Your Investigation and story on this could make a difference of life or death and the everlasting heartbreak of a Soldier! I do think it is wonderful that they are caring for their injured, they should have done that all along, those animals served with UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND DESERVE THE SAME IN RETURN!

[msay3]

In Vietnam, injured war dogs were often euthanized or left overseas. But today, they can have a full career and long life even after being injured in combat. (CBS)
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Actually, all of the dogs were left after the war...The trainers and handlers tried in vain to get permission from the war dept. to bring their dogs home with them...The government said "no". Something about bringing disease with them, and the dogs not being able to adapt back into society, etc. What a bunch of c r a p !!!!
I recently watched a documentary where the vets (now in retirement years) still cry when they think of having to walk away for the last time from their beloved protectors and companions, while listening to them cry and whine for them as they left; knowing full well their ultimate fate.....The Vietnamese have no compunction of eating dog meat for their meals... This story was confirmed to me by my brother who was an officer in the Green Berets.

I AM SO GLAD THAT THE MILITARY FINALLY REALIZES THE VALUE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS, NOT JUST IN A MILITARILY ADVANTAGEOUS WAY, BUT AS LIVING, BREATHING, FEELING CREATURES...