Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Eleanor Vara | 220519-N-VL27-1054 BREMERTON, Wash. (May 19, 2022) Master-at-Arms 3rd Class...... read more read more
Canine teams of Naval Base Kitsap, Washington State Police, Department of Homeland Security TSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation performed joint training on ex USS Dubuque (LPD-8), May 19, 2022.
Considering the amount of dogs and handlers of each agency, joint training usually takes place on an inactive ship such as the decommissioned USS Dubuque that is a part of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard’s Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility.
“These canines are trained to effectively navigate through the steep ladder wells, tight compartments, and other hazardous elements found on naval vessels,” said Chief Petty Officer Francisco Cota, a K-9 handler with the Naval Base Kitsap Security Department. “Training on the ship allows the dogs of Naval Base Kitsap to familiarize themselves with that type of environment. Joint training is also very helpful in getting other canine training teams familiar with a ship as well.”
Some of the benefits of partner agencies training with Navy canine teams is the experience of working on a ship and exchanging contact information with other dog handlers.
“There is plenty of networking amongst the canine teams in order to prepare each organization for a scenario where they need to respond to a unique location such as a ship,” said Mark Taylor, Department of Homeland Security TSA Canine representative. “These dogs, as well as their handlers, need to get accustomed to traversing through unfamiliar territory.”
The training exercises on USS Dubuque consisted of sniffing out narcotics and bombs. From the bow to the stern, training aids were placed throughout the ship before the canine teams’ arrival.
“The other agencies brought different explosive odors that the Navy is not used to training on,” said Cota. “The goal is to see how our dogs react to the different scents.”
There were several dog breeds involved with the joint training on USS Dubuque. The breeds were Belgian malinios; German shepherds; black, yellow and chocolate labradors; Dutch shepherds; jagdterriers; and German short hair pointers.
Humans and dogs have been living in harmony for thousands of years. Eventually, some breeds were trained to be service dogs. One of the first training programs for canines was founded in 1916 in Germany where they trained German Shepherds to work alongside soldiers as guides.
During World War I, an American soldier smuggled a pit bull named “Stubby” onto his ship deploying to France. Stubby went on to successfully warn soldiers of mustard gas attacks, incoming artillery shells, as well as delivering supplies to wounded soldiers and even capturing a German soldier in the process. He was the first and only military dog to be promoted to sergeant.
The modern military working dog endures extraneous training in order to detect narcotics, contraband and hidden explosives on military installations. Their primary mission is to protect and defend military personnel and its facilities.
The countless hours of training and patience amongst the handler and the working dog is the sacrifice of forming one solid team. As the Navy saying goes, “One team, one fight.”
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2022 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 422601 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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