Barking up the right tree

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  They begin their Air Force career at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, just like Airmen - but that's where the similarities end. Their version of training can take up to 120 days. In that time, the dogs must meet the requirements to become military working dogs. An average of one out of four dogs makes it. Upon successful completion they train upwards of 6,000 hours per year. They deploy more frequently than most Airmen and enjoy finding improvised explosive devices and other dangerous things during their deployments. They are the dogs of the 60th Security Forces Squadron K-9 unit.

The 60th SFS working dogs are vital to mission success both at home and abroad.

The dogs go on patrols, help with anti-terrorism measures, assist with dormitory walk-throughs and health and wellness checks, said Staff Sgt. Robert Stewart, 60th SFS K-9 handler.

The working dogs are also tasked with world-wide secret service missions, he said. These missions require the dogs to go anywhere from Florida to Israel.

The K-9s also have a higher deployment rate than most other jobs in the Air Force, said Staff Sgt. Kristopher Carroll, 60th SFS kennel master. They can come back from a deployment, and while most Airmen get months to recover, the dogs can be recertified with a different handler and sent back within weeks.

"A common misconception is that the dogs are trained to be mean, but it is really a game to them," said Sergeant Carroll. "When they find an explosive or follow an order, they get a reward - that is fun to them."

The K-9s are in high demand, with five dogs currently deployed, he said.

A unique ability of dogs, especially helpful during deployments, is they can smell a scent one time and remember it forever, said Sergeant Carroll. So when they get the scent of that explosive we trained them on months before, they will remember and find it for us.

An example of this in action is when Brit, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, was recently deployed to Afghanistan. He was attached to the 101st Airborne Division for a 7-month deployment with his handler, Sergeant Stewart, when he located a 15-pound bag of homemade explosives, said Sergeant Stewart.

"Working dogs are usually adopted out as they reach their retirement age," said Sergeant Carroll. "We do everything we can to find them a good home."

"They love what they do, it's all they know and they love it," he said. "Even if they work into their old age, they get to stay active and have fun."