K-9 Promise
My eyes are your eyes to watch and protect you and yours
My ears are your ears to hear and detect evil minds in the dark
My nose is your nose to scent the invader of your domain
And so you may live, my life is also yours.
It was a rainy day in Knoxville, Saturday, but it didn’t deter dozens of military veterans and law enforcement officers from attending an inaugural ceremony to pay tribute to some worthy veterans.
They were there to honor their four-pawed partners, past and present; to recognize military working dogs as family, partners and veterans.
March 13 has been officially designated “K-9 Veterans Day” and the first-ever ceremony was held outside the University of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medicine.
Military service dogs have been used for decades; in fact, some were likely used and kept secret in earlier days. For that reason it’s hard to determine the exact number of K-9 dogs that have actually gone to war.
What is known is that approximately 4000 dogs were sent to Vietnam and only about 200 of them came home to US soil.
Thankfully, mindset has changed with the military and K-9 “soldiers” are no longer considered merely a commodity. During the Vietnam conflict many of the dogs were considered surplus supplies at the end of the war and were euthanized instead of being returned home to live out their days with their handlers or to take on other assignments for the government they served.
Overwhelmingly, military and law enforcement K-9 partners are Shepherds.
Most are German Shepherds; some are shepherd breeds from foreign countries. Belgian Malinois, often thought to be the best working dog in the world, and Dutch Shepherds have also proven to be extraordinary military working dogs. These breeds are extremely brilliant and exceedingly loyal.
At the Knoxville ceremony, Donna Fefee, vice-president of the German Shepherd Club of East Tennessee, said, “These dogs did serve. They are veterans. They deserve to be recognized for all they contributed. The dogs were weapons, but they were one of the only weapons that primarily fought to save people instead of killing people."
March 13 was chosen as K-9 Veterans Day because the US Army launched its first official K-9 Corps on March 13, 1942.
For a look at some beautiful K-9 heroes, please view the heartwarming photos at: www.uswardogs.org.
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