NIMRUZ PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - When 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan arrived here they brought trained improvised-explosive-device-detector dogs to assist them during foot patrols and at check points.
Here since May, the dogs came after completing more than a year of training at the American K-9 Interdiction (AK9I) in Suffolk, Va., where they were trained to find more than 25 different commercial- and military-grade explosives.
After their training was completed, the dogs were paired with Marines with whom they got along. Those Marines learned the different commands to control the dogs, even from great distances.
“It took a while at first to match the dogs with the Marines
The idea behind this group of canine bomb hunters is to make locating explosives easier and safer for the Marines. In the traditional method of locating IEDs, Marines sweep using a metal detector, which can be time-consuming and can put the Marines extremely close to any devices that may exist.
“This is a great program, and it is really going to save lives,” said Lance Cpl. Cameron C. Buss, a battalion dog handler. “When we got to Virginia, there were a lot of moving parts involved with figuring out the dogs and the commands and the body language of the dogs during the exercises, but when it came together, it really came together. I really enjoy working with these dogs.”
According to Buss, the capabilities of these dogs are very wide and their heightened sense of smell can identify explosives from significant distances.
“You can cover so much more ground with these dogs in half the time,” said Lance Cpl. Craig L. Fleck. “Unlike sweeping for IEDs, I can stand in one place and know I’m safe. It’s a great idea and a great program and it is going to show.”
The reason Labrador retrievers were chosen for this task is because of their hunting ability, said Cota. These dogs have greater stamina than bloodhounds and a high degree of reliability, which makes them a perfect fit.
Cota said he couldn’t ask for a better group and that the dogs and their handlers work extremely well together. “These dogs are very good and I’m a firm believer in their abilities,” he said.
Stumble It!
