Introduction
The bond between animals and humans has been the subject of serious psychological research (Coren, 227). Prior to the twentieth century, a person’s mental state could easily be called into question simply for showing affection to a dog and vice versa (Coren, 227). That, however, is not the perception of the modern man. Today, dogs and other animals avail a means of promoting both the physical and mental health of their owners or handlers (Coren, 227). To this end, the research has established that dogs are worthy companions, not only as pets, as they can be trained to complement human beings in other more involving duties. In particular, dogs have over the years been trained to assist soldiers in combat. In the USA, for instance, dogs have been fighting alongside soldiers for over 100 years (Frankel, 2011). They participated in the Civil War as well as World War I (Frankel, 2011). Their official joining the US army took place in 1942 (Frankel, 2011).
Thesis statement
Dogs are invented creatures; with appropriate training, they can proficiently and professionally perform virtually all tasks.
Background
“Dogs are invented creatures”. One author used this phrase to describe the evolving nature of dogs and their relationship with human beings (Coren, 10). According to Coren, dogs are man’s invention in that human beings have been recurrently changing and shaping them for thousands of years. The relationship between humans and dogs has also been evolving. Human beings are always finding different means of fitting dogs in their lives and creating new tasks for them to perform (Coren, 10). The evolution of dogs in meeting human’s needs is far from being over. This is particularly so because people are not only genetically influencing the size and body shapes of dogs but also their behavior. Their ability to communicate and understand humans has allowed human beings to take advantage of the astounding skills of these animals (Ensminger, 3).
Today, dogs can be trained not only to obey basic orders, but also to carry out as many tasks as their owners or handlers want. In the military, dogs are an essential component in many missions. Further, dogs can be trained as teams. For instance, in 1993, three military dogs, Duke, Mick and Tia, set off for Somalia with little supervision, hastily found concealed ammunition, weapons, bombs, and grenades (Duckworth, 156).
Classification of active duty dogs
The term active duty means full time service and has its origin in the military. In this context, the term ‘active duty dogs’ refers to those dogs engaged in both military and law enforcement activities. Military and police canine functions can be divided in four general categories: detection; tracking, trailing and identification; rescue and protection; and crowd control and suspect apprehension (Ensminger, 4). Consequently, active duty dogs can be classified either as military, police and search-and-rescue dogs.
Discussion
Dogs fall under each category for their refined abilities in certain tasks.
Military dogs
The training of military dogs pertains to searching buildings, detecting bombs and other explosives, scouting and engaging in active combat when ordered (Rubinowitz, 2012). Prior to training, to identify an active duty dog entails making an effort to find a dog that has a proper disposition for the job. Military and police work requires dogs that are not afraid or nervous. They must also be interested in the environment, lively, willing to labor for long hours, quick to learn, and reasonably intelligent. The work requires a dog that has a strong drive for searching. The dog must also be bold. The size of the dog is also an issue to consider in certain cases. Thus, research has revealed that most military dogs derived from the Malinois or shepherd or Germany shepherd breeds. In the US, military dogs participated in the recent wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq. After service, US laws allow their respective handlers or other trained dog’s handlers to adopt them and provide them with a peaceful after service life.
Police dogs
Police dogs assist the police in the various law enforcement activities. Consequently, there are police patrol dogs, drug detection dogs, bomb detection dogs, dual purpose police dogs, which can perform the roles of patrol and narcotic detection or patrol and explosives detection, protection dogs (area, personal or executive), selection tested dogs, and obedience companions (Worldwide Canine Inc, 2012).
Police dogs usually possess certain characteristics of military dogs. In most cases, many police dogs are trained to perform several functions. Debate over this revolves around the question if training dogs to carry out many tasks may cause them to perform some tasks worse than specialized dogs. In majority of cases, however, duties imposed on a canine team are a matter of economics for most police departments. Dogs possess refined sniffing capabilities. As such, most police dogs’ work pertains to narcotics and explosives detection. In fact, in the USA, the Supreme Court and other courts have set boundaries that permit deploying dogs to perform sniffs in many situations without advanced judicial approval, e.g., in planes, buses, trains, sniffs of luggage. Further, canine evidence is no longer dismissed as junk science. Dogs also serve as patrol dogs and form part of security teams, which offer area, personal and executive protection. Police dogs undergo training in special dog training units.
Search and rescue dogs
Search and rescue dogs form part of emergency service teams in which local, state and federal agencies coordinate, deploy and manage certified teams to look for, rescue or recover injured and/or lost people (Snovak, 1). One of the most valuable and intriguing aspects of search and rescue is the use of dogs. Dogs receive credit for their triumph in finding people and saving lives They participate in missions of finding people lost in remote areas (wilderness search), buried by snow slides (avalanche search), drown (water search), and trapped after a natural or man-made calamity (urban or disaster search and rescue) as well as locating decomposing bodies (cadaver search or human remains detection).
Conclusion
Dogs often termed man’s best friends have over the years adapted to assisting people in their evolving needs. Their ability to follow scent, agility and obedience has allowed them quite ably to perform complex tasks (Snovak, 2). They have been of assistance in military and police departments as well as they are valuable components of search and rescue missions. They have excelled in these and received honors in that respect. They are a joy to humans, their assistants and truly man’s best friends.
References
Coren, Stanley. The Modern Dog: How Dogs Have Changed People and Society and Improved our Lives. London: Simon and Schuster, 2009. Print.
Duckworth, Jane. Not Every Dog Has His Day: The Treatment of Dogs in Australia. Sydney: Axiom Creative Enterprises, 2009. Print
Frankel, Rebecca. War Dogs. 2011. Web.
Rubinowitz, Susan. The Plight of Working Military Dogs. n.d. Web. 2012.
Snovak, Angela. Guide to Search and Rescue Dogs. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2004. Print
Worldwide Canine Inc. Top Dogs for Tough Jobs. n.d. Web. 2012.