Dog stories

[Darth_DMack]

It was a routine night for us, well routine by our operational tempo. We were about to raid a compound for a High Value Target (HVT) that I had been working on tracking for weeks. We had positive ID that he was in this compound, with multiple ways of confirming that, which I cannot discuss in this venue. The Task Force was briefed, everyone had checked and double checked their gear and we were in chalk order, waiting for our birds to arrive.

I was to ride with the trail element, since I was the person to do the tactical questioning on sight, and provide positive ID once we secured the compound. The birds arrived and we loaded the MH-60’s for our low and fast flight to the target area. Sitting next to me was a young handler, with a VERY svelt looking Belgian Malinois named “Rex”. Rex was typical for the MWD’s (Military Working Dogs) that we affectionately called “Hair Missiles”. He had his muzzle on, and his vest, along with his Rex Specs and was ready for work. His handler, a young Ranger… gave me a nod as we took off.

The short 30 minute flight was over before it began and we hit the ground running. Once on the ground, we stacked up and prepared to breach. Once we entered the compound, it was controlled chaos. Electricity was cut, and we were all blacked out, using our night observation devices (NODs). There were four main buildings on this compound and we had to dominate each of them simultaneously. The information we had, was our HVT was in the main building, along with several other military aged males.

Once we entered the building, we filed in and cleared room by room. “Rex” took lead through an open door, and was very busy putting one of the bad guys down. His handler was on him quickly and subdued the bad guy. I turned to leave the room, after making sure that this was not our HVT. I was facing a hallway, covering the closed door at the end of the hallway with my weapon, waiting for another team mate to reach me to move forward. I could hear flash bangs going off in other rooms, but I was locked down on the closed door at the end of the hall. Smoke was pretty thick, and my NODs were reflecting the smoke back in the IR beam that gave us some light in the hallway.

All of a sudden I felt something hit me on my back, right center of my plate carrier. It was enough force to put me down on my chest, and took me completely by surprise. When you are in a dynamic situation like this, strange things happen. Auditory occlusion, temporal distortion… adrenaline stress response does strange things to the human body. I remember seeing Rex running down the hallway as I started to get up. What I did not know, was as I was holding the hallway, Rex sensed in some way, that another bad guy was behind the door that I was locked down on, and was just about to open fire THROUGH the door. If Rex had not put all four paws mid center of my back, I would have been hit.

I was not standing in the MIDDLE of the hallway, I was using the door frame as cover. But enough of me was exposed that I might have been hit. As the door opened, Rex was there, running full speed and lept onto the gunman. That was all she wrote for that poor sap.

Bottom line… Rex saved my life.

Military Working Dogs are the unsung heroes of war. They serve faithfully, without asking for anything in return. They are not looked at as “pets” but as viable members of the Team. I have never been a handler, but it’s one thing having it to do over again, I would have shouldered that responsibility, 100% and then some.

I had many more missions with Rex, and those like him. To this day, the MWD is my hero.

Thanks for reading, just one of my MILLION Doggo Stories. We sure do not deserve dogs, but I am SO glad we have them.

RLTW! DOL! SINE PARI!

 

[Jstpssng]

We sure do not deserve dogs, but I am SO glad we have them.

Amen!!!

 

[Darth_DMack]

My boys. Koda (left) is my Service Doggo... and by that, he is my best four legged friend. Mako (right) is our velcro doggo. Neither one were MWD's, but my boy Koda would follow me through hell and back. I never knew I could love a dog the way I love him. He's 7 now, and still full of life. They play like puppies and it will GUT me when I have to say goodbye to them.

 

[jyoutz]

That's was rude of you.

?

 

[Dftodd]

We adopted two German shepherd pups. They were identical except for genders.

We kept the female and our daughter took the male.

The male was protective. And they ended up having to give him to a friend of theirs.

Said friend takes in homeless people down on their luck from his church.

Once such person ended up being schizophrenic and got off their meds. Dude flipped out and started beating my daughters friend with a frying pan.

Lennon pulled the guy off the friend, chewed him up some and prevented the attacker from re-entering home.

The sister Gypsy who we have, is a big teddy bear. Super great with kids and the elderly. There was an elderly lady that lived down the street from us who had a stroke and partial paralysis on one side.

When ever she would see us out walking she would start hollering "HI Big Lady!!!". At that point I would get dragged across the street so Gypsy could say hi and get her scratches.

She also had a fan club in that neighborhood with all the neighborhood kids Just don't let an adult stranger (to her) approach those kids in any type of manor she deems threatening. One of the neighbors kids uncles climbed out of their vehicle and snuck up on one of the kids.

Boy she didn't like that one bit. She put herself between the kid and the adult, puffed up and let out a growl that originated from her toenails she made me clench

 

[newbury]

A Black Lab story
Have 4 children. At the time of obtaining the female BL (?2 month old?) puppy (Lady) they were about 3,6,9, 13. The 6 was our only daughter.
Lady adopted all 4 and grew quickly as puppies do.
She was amazing with children, the younger two could give her a treat, change their mind, then go elbow deep retrieving it from her throat.
The youngest would ride her.
Anybody knocking on the door was subject to being torn apart until one of the family told her to stand down.
Best dog we could have had to raise children with. RIP.

 

[gsganzer]

We adopted a stray pup that was dumped in the pasture on our road. Turns out she's a Border-Pit, a cross between a border collie and a pitbull. She's black and white like a border collie, but has a short, dense, shiny coat. What an athletic dog and a bundle of energy. She can scale any fence and even climbs trees after squirrels. I once caught her trying to get out of our 52" tall pipe fence. She stopped mid-stride with all 4 legs on the top rail, just balancing there and looking at me sheepishly. She's also extremely affectionate and loves her family.

She does need to get conditioned with other dogs and people though. When our black mouth cur dog was still around, he kept her in check, acting like the parental supervision. He had a good sense of knowing friend or foe and had a bark that alerted you accordingly. I need to figure out something now that he's gone, she can get skittish around people she doesn't know and if there's a lot of commotion.

 

[jjeff]

Here's a somewhat local story I just heard tonight on the tube entailing a great dog and very fortunate owner. I will foresee "ruby" is eating a ribeye tonight lol.

Michigan officer teams up with dog to rescue pup's owner who fell into frozen lake

The 65-year-old man fell into Arbutus Lake in East Bay Township. A motor carrier officer, and the man's dog, Ruby, worked together to pull the man to safety, according to Michigan State Police.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Dftodd]

So, back when our daughter still had our shepherds brother we dog sat for about a month.

So two full grown German shepherds, me and my wife in bed..... it was cozy

I woke up one night and had to pee...... badly. But I could not move.... at all

The dogs turned me into a canoli. I had one dog on top of the covers laying tight to me on each side.

So about 180lbs holding the blankets tight and pressing on my bladder

I started quietly trying to get the dogs to move and recieved a face washing for my trouble.

Started getting a little louder, and woke up my wife she thought was the greatest. Dogs had me pinned and suffering.

At this point I'm cussing, swearing, saying I don't care who moves..... etc.... finally my wife took pity and got them to move and I rushed to the bathroom.

Wife's still laughing when I come out.

Well a few days later, I leave to head out of town for a week for work.

Talking to my wife one night, she tells me about her predicament that morning.

She woke up to her alarm going off, full bladder, the dogs had turned her into a canoli and she's home by herself stuck with her arms tight to her and can't extricate herself from the bed, shut the alarm off, or get to her phone

Well when she started making a fuss, both dogs commando crawled up the bed a little further and took full advantage to give her lots of kisses
That's karma at its finest

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm going to hijack my own thread and tell about a cat we had when I was growing up. "Taffy" was a big Tom cat who roamed the way cats did before we knew any better. He put the runs to several dogs. One time we were bike riding and a big friendly Irish Setter followed us home. He had a place of his own but liked to wander. After a couple of days the cat showed up and sent that big dog home. Over time he ran off several more dogs. Then my aunt, uncle and cousins came to visit for a few days with their beagle, parking their camper on the lawn. The two pets met and Taffy went running, not to be seen again until the beagle was gone.