The dogs of war are in high demand

By Kyle Stock

War is hell for almost everyone who gets near it. This includes animals—especially the hundreds of dogs the US military has sent to serve alongside soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere since September 11. Now, the Pentagon is taking steps to make sure more of them come home. The armed services have had dogs since about day one. At the moment, roughly 1,600 Military War Dogs (MWDs) are either in the field or helping recuperating veterans. That’s approximately one dog for every three US soldiers currently in Afghanistan.

These animals are, however, an increasingly precious resource. With terrorists targeting public transportation and tourist sites all over the world, global demand for bomb-sniffing dogs has surged.


Canines with finely trained noses now fetch $25,000 and up on the open market, where border patrol units, the State Department, and private security firms go for canine talent. Even the war on bedbugs scoops up some of the best noses in the business. And that’s just US demand.

So, out of necessity, the department of defence is buying up lifelike canine mannequins to better train medics that care for furry soldiers when they fall. Since these dog dolls hit the market in January, the Pentagon has purchased about 80 of them from TraumaFX, an Atlanta-based unit of defense contractor KForce Government Solutions.

The company, which employs Hollywood movie designers, is bidding on an additional six proposals at the moment. “We thought maybe we’d sell 50, but it has just grown overwhelmingly,” said KForce vice president Carolyn Hollander, who added that the project was originally considered just doing the right thing—a “give back”.

The K9 Hero—Trauma’s proxy pooch—is fully articulated, weighs 50 pounds, and costs around $20,000. It has a pulse and an internal, inflating bag that mimics breathing, plus a host of potential afflictions. Push a button on a remote control and the rubbery pet even bleeds profusely. Next month, the company will deliver Hero’s successor, Diesel. Developed specifically for special forces dogs, the animatronic soldier has multiple gunshot wounds, amputatable limbs, and bowels that bloat. It also barks and whimpers.

“The whole point is to build muscle memory in treatment,” Hollander said of medics and handlers who may work on dogs. “If they see something difficult and get desensitised to it in training, they’ll be more effective in handling it in a real-life situation.”

“Our robot dogs, Hero and Diesel, bear a slight resemblance to the famous Star Wars character, Chewbacca, which is no coincidence. The core of TraumaFX’s development team, about two dozen employees, came from Industrial Light and Magic, the Hollywood FX shop that helped create Star Wars, Harry Potter and other hit franchises