{"id":35192,"date":"2019-05-22T11:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T11:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/22\/explosive-sniffing-dogs-trade-ruff-life-for-cushy-retirement-back-home\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:03:45","slug":"explosive-sniffing-dogs-trade-ruff-life-for-cushy-retirement-back-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2019\/05\/22\/explosive-sniffing-dogs-trade-ruff-life-for-cushy-retirement-back-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Explosive-sniffing dogs trade ruff life for cushy retirement back home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not all veterans walk on two legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Department\u2019s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has been overseeing a program that trains military dogs to detect explosive devices such as mines and improvised explosive devices. Dozens of canines have been sent to places like Iraq and Syria to sniff out explosives, and their efforts have helped make those areas safer for humans and animals alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three of those dogs just returned to the U.S. from Iraq and are currently being rehabilitated for adoption by Mission K9 Rescue<\/a>, a nonprofit partner of the State Department that teaches service dogs how to be house pets once they are retired from duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese dogs have served our citizens, our first-responders, our soldiers, our men and women on the front line,\u201d said Kristen Maurer, Mission K9 Rescue\u2019s president and founder. \u201cThey\u2019re out there saving lives every single day. They\u2019ve done this their whole lives, and it\u2019s their time to retire and our time to give back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three dogs in question \u2014 Der, Rhino and Rambo, all of who happen to be four-year-old Belgian Malinois \u2014 are all currently enjoying their own 30-by-30 plots of land on Mission K9 Rescue\u2019s ranch in Houston. The goal is to get them ready for adoption as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a dog paradise,\u201d said Mollie Davis, a State Department public engagement and partnerships specialist. \u201cThese three guys here have [earned] a soft spot from all of us in this office \u2026 It\u2019s a really exciting project and something that makes us feel really good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jerry Guilbert, chief of programs in the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said dogs have been frequently deployed to Iraq and Syria to identify the booby traps set up by the Islamic State. These dogs can sniff explosive devices from outside of buildings, which at least partially minimizes the danger to themselves and their human coworkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the help of these animals, 80,000 explosives have been cleared in areas of Iraq and Syria that were liberated from the Islamic State\u2019s control, according to Guilbert. Their work has been essential as the military attempts to restore vital services to these cities, including clean water, electricity, schools and hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guilbert could only recall one explosive-sniffing dog who was killed in action while deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because they\u2019re really good at what they do,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the training regiments that make these dogs so effective are highly effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kristen Maurer (L), president and founder of Mission K9 Rescue, and Louisa Kastner (R), the nonprofit’s vice president, pose with Zero, a retired military dog who the organization is helping get adopted. (Joshua Axelrod\/Military Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now that their watch has ended, Der, Rhino and Rambo are being reminded how to act in a non-military setting via Mission K9 Rescue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do the best we can to make them feel safe \u2026 and make them feel secure, learn what their triggers are and try to work around them,\u201d said Louisa Kastner, Mission K9 Rescue\u2019s vice president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kastner said that the training each dog receives depends on what the organization perceives to be their biggest obstacle toward adoption. That could mean a variety of things, including a need for them them to be less aggressive toward toys, less timid around loud noises or more comfortable around other dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Mission K9 Rescue deems them ready for adoption, anyone interested will have to go through a strict application process to prove themselves worthy dog parents. That includes making sure that the prospective owner isn\u2019t looking for a service dog, according to Kastner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese dogs have served, and a lot of them have PTSD themselves,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them just to have a retirement. We don\u2019t want them to have to go to work again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the difficulties involved in re-acclimating military dogs to a more relaxed civilian environment, Kastner isn\u2019t worried about getting these dogs adopted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be hard at all,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s just a matter of finding the right home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThey\u2019re out there saving lives every single day. They\u2019ve done this their whole lives, and it\u2019s their time to retire and our time to give back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":69223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,25,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3047],"class_list":["post-35192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MYLLW4W5FNEFJNLJGLDIJWFZ6Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/transition\/2019\/05\/22\/explosive-sniffing-dogs-trade-ruff-life-for-cushy-retirement-back-home\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nExplosive-sniffing dogs trade ruff life for cushy retirement back home - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cThey\u2019re out there saving lives every single day. 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