Photo By Sharilyn Wells | Spc. Taylor Reed, 550th Military Working Dog detachment, and his dog, Gert, perform...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, NC - With a wagging tail, Gert hovers in a sit position anxiously awaiting the command.
“Watch him,” Spc. Taylor Reed, a military police officer and dog handler, says sternly as Gert inches closer to the suspect. “Watch him.”
Gert lets out a warning bark as the suspect turns to sprint.
“Sir, come back!” Reed shouts. “Come back before I release my dog!” But the suspect just speeds up.
“Get him!” commands Reed, as he releases Gert.
Within seconds, the 3-year-old Belgian Malinois pounces on the suspect and brings him down. Reed gives the command to release and throws Gert his favorite toy as a reward, signifying the end of the training session.
“Gert loves to get the bad guy,” smiles Reed.
Gert is a military working dog partnered with Reed as a narcotics team for the 550th Military Working Dog detachment, assigned to the 16th Military Police Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“What Gert brings to the table is that non-lethal force to detain or restrain a suspect who has a deadly weapon or during a hostage situation,” said Reed.
Finding the ‘bad guy’ isn’t the only specialty Gert has, he is also trained in finding narcotics with a 100 percent find rate and along with Reed, is part of Fort Bragg’s Special Reaction Team, the installation’s “SWAT.”
Suited with a Trident Helmet system and MOHOC camera system, Reed is able to see what Gert is seeing.
“What’s good about [the system] is that he can be inside a building or in between cinderblock walls without me or the team,” explained Reed. “He can show us on the outside that it’s safe to go in or to hold off until Gert restrains the suspect.”
Reed, is a well-versed and experienced dog handler who always knew he wanted to be part of law enforcement – becoming a dog handler was just the icing on the cake.
“I joined the Army in 2017,” explained Reed, who is originally from Downers Grove, Illinois. “I wanted to work with dogs but the recruiters told me it was ones of those ‘unicorn jobs’ that was difficult to get into.”
As luck would have it, Reed not only was able to snag a career as a military police officer, but become a dog handler as well.
“I was really lucky to get into this [military occupational specialty],” Reed said. “I’ve worked with dogs a lot in my civilian life before joining the Army – whether it was working at a dog groomers or working with a dog walking company. I’ve been exposed to dogs of all shapes, sizes and temperaments. In order to be in a job like this, you have to love every aspect of caring for, training, and working with dogs.”
Gert isn’t Reed’s first military working dog. He talks fondly of Diana, whom he formed a special bond with when he first joined the military.
“I met [Diana] in 2017, at that time she was 7 years old about to be 8,” explained Reed. “I was with her for a total of 3 years.”
The two of them deployed to Bagdad, Iraq, when the embassy was attacked in 2020.
“We came home and found out Diana couldn’t see in the dark anymore – she was going blind,” Reed said. “I was given the opportunity to take her home.”
Diana was medically retired and was able to live the good life on the couch with Reed. She recently passed away due to cancer.
“When a dog retires, ideally from old age, the K9 will enter into a retirement program,” explained Pfc. Donald Rose, another dog handler on the 550th MWD Detachment narcotics team. “The previous handler will get a chance to adopt the dog. If the handler is unable to adopt, other handlers will get the opportunity.”
Rose, new to the Army and the team, recently certified on his first military working dog, Aki. Aki is another 3-year-old, Belgian Malinois, who is obsessed with his chew toy.
Aki, as well as the other working dogs, lives to please and wants that special reward – his toy. Dogs are trained to accomplish their special task, whether it is seeking and finding drugs, people or explosives. Each team certifies on specific tasks to ensure effectiveness and quality of the team. When not patrolling and protecting Fort Bragg, the teams train on their tasks to stay proficient; not to say that the teams don’t get to relax and have fun.
“During downtime, we like to go on walks and play with his Kong (toy) – just let him be a dog,” said Rose. “No commands, no rules. Nothing – just let him relax.”
“Bosco loves long walks in the woods,” smiled Sgt. Austin Lancaster, member of the 550th MWD detachment narcotics dog team. “… And hugs.”
Bosco, another Belgian Malinois, and Lancaster were recently part of a health and welfare check at one of the barracks on the installation.
Fort Bragg units wishing to have military working dog support for health and welfare checks can contact the kennel master to schedule.
“We go into rooms, unit areas and parking lots to ensure narcotics are not in the living or common areas,” said Lancaster. “Drug problems have an impact on any organization in the military. It degrades mission readiness and the more people that are caught using, in possession of, or get hurt from using drugs – the more people are taken out of the fight.”
It should be mentioned here; if drugs are present during health and welfare checks, they will be found, as each military working dog on the narcotics team has been certified with a 100% find rate.
Sgt. Aaron McQuery, the military working dog narcotics squad leader, says that the primary mission of the military working dog teams is to provide safety and security to all service members and civilians that live and work on Fort Bragg. When the teams aren’t out patrolling, they are constantly training on their scents.
Due to the proximity of Fort Bragg’s location on the I-95 drug-trafficking corridor, Fort Bragg leadership recognizes the risk that drug and narcotic usage, possession, and distribution poses to the mission of the Fort Bragg military community and the surrounding communities. The installation’s law enforcement officers and military working dogs are the front line defense in deterrence and are trained to handle drug-related criminal activity at a moment’s notice.
“We train for various types of scenarios that could happen on Fort Bragg,” explained McQuery. “We also provide that psychological visible deterrent to any type of criminal activity. Fort Bragg has a zero tolerance policy for drugs on the installation. We are here to foster a safe environment for everyone here on Fort Bragg.”
“In a deployment environment,” continued McQuery. “The mission is more combat oriented and serving the foreign nationals in whatever country you’re in.”
As the squad leader, McQuery is in charge of leading and scheduling the teams’ trainings while working with Fort Bragg command teams, as well as outside community law enforcement, to support their anti-drug campaigns – and a lot of paperwork.
McQuery has racked up over 9,000 hours of law enforcement experience and even though he’s prepping to transition out of the Army – he has a wealth of knowledge to share with his team. He hopes the vast experience with working in different environments and situations will come in handy for his civilian law enforcement career path.
Newly certified, Pfc. Sheridan Reagin and her dog, Max, take full advantage of the expertise and knowledge that seasoned dog handlers, like McQuery, have acquired. Reagin is very aware that at her young age, she is lucky to learn from her teammates and leaders about the different techniques and skills needed to be a successful dog handler.
Raised in a military family, Reagin, originally from Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas., joined the military in October of 2020. Fort Bragg is her first assignment and Max, a 5-year-old German shepherd, is her first dog – but she isn’t his first handler. Reagin was lucky enough to learn and train with Max’s previous handler, who has since transitioned out of the Army. Max and Reagin are still working on their relationship together and sealing the bond between handler and dog.
“He’s a very sweet dog,” said Reagin. “He enjoys running and finding drugs. I’m still learning his behaviors to know when he’s on a certain scent. We are continually training together so that we can work more cohesively as a team.”
Military working dogs have been a part of U.S. military history for years. They have supported many missions home and abroad. The narcotics teams featured in this article are just one of the special tasks and teams that utilize military dogs. Military working dogs are key components to the military forces because of their ability to detect threats that humans cannot. Dog handlers are trained to know any and everything about their dog and build a trusting relationship with one another.
“Handlers and their dogs have a really unique relationship,” explained Reed. “We are eating and sleeping as a team, and your success as a team depends on that relationship. You have to recognize what your dog is telling you. Most importantly, when the dog is finding narcotics or explosives, you have to recognize the dog’s unique change of behavior to be able to alert the team you’re supporting. Everyone has an off day, it’s our relationship that recognizes that and ensures mission success.”
It's a known fact that becoming a dog handler is a well-sought out career to get into, both in the military and civilian work force. It also takes a lot of patience and a great love of dogs.
“Advice for those wanting to become part of the K9 unit,” explained Rose, from Geneva, Neb. “Be patient with the dog. The dog doesn’t understand English, it doesn’t understand what you want from it. You have to try your best to communicate to it so that it can understand you. It really just want to please you and do its job effectively – so patience is key.”
In addition to 10 weeks of basic training and 17 weeks of advanced individual training for the handler military occupational specialty, each day includes training with the dog assigned and keeping proficient in law enforcement duties. Each dog handler reiterated the amount of patience needed to be successful and the challenge of continually training and working with his or her dog. However, they all say the job is well worth it.
“The most challenging part of this job is when your dog is having an off day – or just being stubborn, during a task you know it can do,” said Lancaster, originally from Amarillo, Texas. “Watching Bosco on duty and accomplishing tasks successfully is worth all the training.”
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2022 08:59 |
| Story ID: | 413701 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 624 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Fort Bragg Patrol: Narcotics military working dog teams are on the case, by Sharilyn Wells, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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