Dogs of War (Canine Variety )

[oneway]

You guys seen this yet?



Woof!

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/war_dog?page=0,0

[oakranger]

The navy seal team that got Osama bin Laden brought a K-9 with them.  So, no surprising to see the number of K-9s being using on the front line. 

[oneway]

Top photo is a Seal and his mutt setting a HALO record (man+dog)...

And yes...Team 6 had a dog with them on the raid..

 

[EskimoJoe]

Woof, woof!

  to our serving pups!

[Pigslilspaz]

And they use only breeds that are REAL dogs (German Shepards, Labs, etc.) Can't stand yippy little fuzzy rats.

Honestly, my only soft spot is for puppies (especially labs). Probably could add any offspring I'll eventually have (and the world will rue the day it let me have a child  )

[morfiend]

Dogs have been valuable wartime assets for years! They've been specially bred as "war dogs" since Roman times and maybe even before that.

  During WW2 all "French Mastifs" were ordered shot on sight which almost ended this breed. Airedale Terriers were used as trench dogs in WW1,they controlled rats,ran messages and carried supplies. Stubbie was a famous pitbull that save many service men in the pacific as he's warn them of incoming rounds long before anyone could here them.

  As resent as 2004 a Newfoundland was awarded the equivalent to the Victoria Cross for protecting wounded Canadian soldiers from many Japanese attack and finally gave his life by removing a grenade that had been thrown in among the wounded solders and none of them could reach it.


  I could go on about plenty of other examples but I wont,instead I'll just stop there and honour them all with a Salute!






       

[wojo71]

My son told me the other day he will be going to Dog handling school next month with the Marines, I think he will be using a Lab

[MaSonZ]

Dogs have been valuable wartime assets for years! They've been specially bred as "war dogs" since Roman times and maybe even before that. Rottweilers were a common dog for this.

  During WW2 all "French Mastifs" were ordered shot on sight which almost ended this breed. Airedale Terriers were used as trench dogs in WW1,they controlled rats,ran messages and carried supplies. Stubbie was a famous pitbull that save many service men in the pacific as he's warn them of incoming rounds long before anyone could here them.

  As resent as 2004 a Newfoundland was awarded the equivalent to the Victoria Cross for protecting wounded Canadian soldiers from many Japanese attack and finally gave his life by removing a grenade that had been thrown in among the wounded solders and none of them could reach it.


  I could go on about plenty of other examples but I wont,instead I'll just stop there and honour them all with a Salute!






       

Dogs arent called "Mans best friend" for no reason.  to those serving with them.

[Rash]

A couple Irish Terriers with mustard gas burns to thier feet during WW1

[Reaper90]

Dogs Rule.

 

[Jayhawk]

[AWwrgwy]

Someone tell the Canadians that they aren't fighting the Japanese anymore.

Hurry. It's costing dogs their lives.


wrongway

[morfiend]

Someone tell the Canadians that they aren't fighting the Japanese anymore.

Hurry. It's costing dogs their lives.


wrongway

  Totally uncalled for the medal was awarded in 2004 for an act of bravery in 1942!



     

[Penguin]

How did the dogs get gas burns on their feet?  Does chlorine gas contaminate soil?

-Penguin

[Babalonian]

How did the dogs get gas burns on their feet?  Does chlorine gas contaminate soil?

-Penguin

It's mustard gas burns:
http://www.vlib.us/medical/HMSO/chapter2.htm

MUSTARD GAS

8. Physical and chemical properties of mustard gas.

A knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of mustard gas is essential to an understanding of its insidious action on the human body. The outstanding features are the following :

Appearance.- In the pure state mustard gas is a clear, heavy and somewhat oily fluid, straw coloured, but in the crude form it is a heavy, dark-coloured, oily liquid.

Odour.-In the absence of chemical methods for the ready detection of mustard gas, the sense of smell is the most reliable guide to its presence. The mustard-like or garlicky odour, though faint in low concentrations, is characteristic of the gas, and it is most important that the smell should be memorized as part of anti-gas training. It is well to remember that mustard gas may produce casualties in concentrations the smell of which may readily escape notice ; also, that the sense of smell tires quickly, and that after a few minutes in a mustard gas atmosphere the smell of the gas may seem to have disappeared.

Boiling Point and vapour Pressure.-The boiling point of mustard gas (2170 C. or 42.30 F.) is high, and its vapour pressure is correspondingly low (0.05 mm. Hg at 100 C., and 0.45 mm. Hg at 400 C.) - hence its slow vaporization at ordinary temperatures and its consequent quality of persistence.

Freezing Point.-The freezing point of pure mustard gas is 14.40 C. (580 F.), while that of the crude variety is considerably lower, viz. 70 to 80 C. (440 to 45.40 F.) - somewhat high freezing points which limit the usefulness of the gas in cold weather, although contact with the frozen material is still a source of danger. It should also be noted that in these circumstances there will be an almost complete absence of the characteristic odour which is often the only indication of the presence of mustard gas.

Density. - Mustard gas has a high specific gravity (1.28 at 150 C. or 590 F.) and, as it is not miscible with water, it readily sinks to the bottom when added to it.

Solubility. Although mustard gas is only very slightly soluble in water (under 1 per cent.), both the liquid and the vapour are freely soluble in animal oils and fats, and it is because of this lipoid solubility that mustard gas finds an easy entry into the skin. Other substances that readily dissolve mustard gas are alcohol, ether, petrol and kerosene, carbon tetrachloride, acetone, carbon disulphide, and many other organic solvents.

Stability.- Both physically and chemically mustard gas is a stable substance; it is unaffected by normal ranges of atmospheric temperature, though simple heat disperses it by hastening evaporation. It is only very slowly hydrolysed by water ; hot water, however, hastens this decomposition, the products of which (hydrochloric acid and thiodiglycol) in ordinary circumstances are practically harmless. For its chemical neutralization strong reagents axe usually required, such as chlorine (as in bleaching powder), potassium permanganate, or other strong oxidizing agents.

Powers of Penetration. - Liquid mustard gas has great powers of penetration, and will soak into all but the most impervious surfaces such as smooth metals, glass and glazed tiles. Like oil it is readily absorbed by clothing, but when small drops of liquid mustard gas fall on clothing any injury which results is as a rule caused by the passage of vapour of mustard gas rather than by the penetration of actual liquid.

Persistence. - Mustard gas is very persistent. Depending on weather conditions it may remain m a liquid and dangerous state for days or even weeks. It may persist under the surface of the ground which appears free of the liquid. Frozen mustard gas may continue to give off vapour slowly for months. As the temperature rises the quantity of vapour given off will increase. The frozen liquid may therefore be carried by boots, etc., to warmer surroundings where it will melt and vaporize.



9. Toxic properties of mustard gas.

Toxicity.- It has already been remarked that, as a casualty producer, mustard gas was the most effective chemical used in the Great War. It is an extremely dangerous substance both in the liquid and in the vapour state, but its action is essentially local, and no general systemic disturbance usually supervenes in the absence of secondary infection. The gas is not selective in its action and any part of the body exposed to it will suffer.

Vapour concentrations.- Atmospheres which contain low concentrations of mustard gas are particularly dangerous, as the comparative absence of smell in such concentrations renders them particularly insidious since the presence of the poison may escape detection and thus cause the exposure to be unduly prolonged.

Insidious characteristics. - The fact that there is no immediate irritation of the skin on contact with the liquid, nor of the eyes and respiratory tract on entering moderate concentrations of the vapour constitutes one of the more serious dangers of this gas, as contamination may be unsuspected. Even when the gas has been detected by its characteristic odour, the sense of smell is soon dulled, or even lost, and the odour will cease to be appreciated. If, however, the respirator is speedily adjusted the odour will be detected whenever the respirator face-piece is raised to "test for gas." It is important to remember, also, that harmful concentrations of the gas can easily be masked by innocuous smokes or by fumes from high explosive, in which case the gas will exert its effects undetected.

Delayed action. - After exposure to mustard gas vapour or contact with the liquid itself no effects are noticed for some time. Signs and symptoms do not begin to appear until after the lapse of some hours, depending on the concentration of the vapour in the atmosphere and the length of exposure thereto. By this time it is too late to ward off the effects of the gas, and casualties result.

Delayed healing. - It has already been stated that the action of mustard gas is local ; the tissues affected are devitalized, they are easily injured by rubbing or pressure, and they are very prone to secondary infection. Where the gas has penetrated deeply, the healing process, even though sepsis be excluded, is very slow owing to damage to capillaries, veins and lymphatics. It is only when the action of the gas is superficial and localized that the condition clears up rapidly.

Sensitivity. - All persons are sensitive to the action of mustard gas, and so far as is known all who have not previously been exposed to its effects possess approximately the same degree of sensitivity irrespective of race or colour.

Acquired hypersensitivity. - In contrast to normal sensitivity it has been found that persons who have suffered injury as a result of exposure to mustard gas may in some cases become hypersensitive to its effects. The condition may be induced by either the liquid or the vapour of mustard gas. It is not possible to say with certainty whether a similar condition may be induced by other types of blister gas, such as lewisite; there is at present no evidence to suggest that this is so.