August 9, 2008 - This is one of the first dogs we sent a cooling vest, doggles and booties to back in Jul 07.  Beny is returning to Iraq, this time with a different handler, in a few weeks.  As you can see, he still has his gear.

To date, through your support, our program has sent 267 cooling vests to Iraq/Afghanistan!  We currently have 8-10 dogs on our waiting list.

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE --
August 8, 2008
The Sun News, Macon GA

When Beny deploys to Iraq in a few weeks, he'll have several life-saving devices in his mobility bag: a set of booties, one for each of his four feet; a pair of goggles; and probably a cooling vest with pockets for ice packs.

It's all to combat the searing heat of the war zone - heat that routinely exceeds Middle Georgia's torrid afternoon highs by 20 to 30 degrees.

Beny is a 60-pound German shepherd, one of six military working dogs in the 78th Security Forces Squadron at Robins Air Force Base. His critical job is explosives and enemy combatant detection, roles that could be impaired if he's not properly protected from the oven-like conditions.

The 3-year-old shepherd arrived at Robins in May after initial training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Since that time, he's undergone additional conditioning and detection drills.

Tech. Sgt. Derrick Lee, the Robins kennel master, insists on full-dress training for handlers and working dogs. For the handlers, that includes helmets and flak vests. For the dogs, it's at least booties and eye protection, affectionately called "doggles" by the kennel team.

Lee wants his handlers and dogs to train as they will work in the combat zone.

"That means they wear the full gear. It's conditioning for both at the same time," he pointed out.

The training day begins at 5 a.m. with a run session followed by detection training in the afternoon.

"We do the detection training then because we want both the handler and dog to get used to working in the heat," Lee said.

The dog's well-being is always paramount, the Washington, D.C., native insists. Dogs have limited ability to cool themselves because they have sweat glands only in their paws. Panting is the primary tool.

"We make sure he has plenty of water," Lee said. "We watch their panting. Sometime if they are overheating, they will stagger. But it goes back to the rapport the handler builds with the dog. He should know everything about the dog from spending so much time with him. He should immediately know if something is wrong."

Lee's last deployment was with Rudy, another working dog in the Robins unit.

"Some dogs can work longer in the heat than others," he said. "I knew that Rudy could only work 10 to 15 minutes at a time. So there was no point in searching for 25 minutes."

Senior Airman John Spearing is training another shepherd in the kennel. He said he conducts a head-to-paws health check every day looking for any scratch or scar.

"Some dogs will stop working and lie down when they get too hot," Spearing reported. "That's when you take immediate action - take their temperature, get them in air conditioning, wet them down, get them in front of a fan."

Senior Airman Shawn Kaup has been assisting with Beny although another airman will deploy with the dog. He and Rexo, another shepherd, returned from Iraq in January. Rexo recently died due to medical problems and his memory is still fresh on the Nebraska native's mind.

He said Rexo was more loving and compassionate than Beny. "But Beny is more energetic. He wants to go," Kaup said. "Rexo wanted to stay close. Beny wants to go, although he'll come back and check on you."

He sees a bright future for the young shepherd.

"Beny loves to work," he confirmed. "He also loves to play and he seeks attention. But he knows when it's time to protect lives or assets."

Working dogs are a huge equalizer in the war on terror, Kaup believes. "Their nose is a thousand times more sensitive than ours," he said. "So are their ears. They know what they need to do. They're great."