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Question MOD Dogs, the sun's story

Ricey

I’m a Mod⭐⭐
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Today you may or may not have a chance to read the article on the front page of the sun about the MOD putting down 288 dogs in 3 years leading on from yesterday's article about Prince Williams guard dogs being put down.

Being a dog handler and a dog lover this article has infuriated me as the facts are all completely wrong (I know it's the sun what did I expect?) and an out of order reflection on how we deal with dogs at the end of their career or due in retirement.

Why I am starting this thread is to listen to people's opinions and answer any question and put straight any rumours and to help make people to not jump to crazy assumptions and all the ******** that the sun and other newspapers have written about the trade.
 
Today you may or may not have a chance to read the article on the front page of the sun about the MOD putting down 288 dogs in 3 years leading on from yesterday's article about Prince Williams guard dogs being put down.

Being a dog handler and a dog lover this article has infuriated me as the facts are all completely wrong (I know it's the sun what did I expect?) and an out of order reflection on how we deal with dogs at the end of their career or due in retirement.

Why I am starting this thread is to listen to people's opinions and answer any question and put straight any rumours and to help make people to not jump to crazy assumptions and all the ******** that the sun and other newspapers have written about the trade.

How many dogs were put down in the last three years?

Also, why does the MOD have that many dogs?
 
Today you may or may not have a chance to read the article on the front page of the sun about the MOD putting down 288 dogs in 3 years leading on from yesterday's article about Prince Williams guard dogs being put down.

Being a dog handler and a dog lover this article has infuriated me as the facts are all completely wrong (I know it's the sun what did I expect?) and an out of order reflection on how we deal with dogs at the end of their career or due in retirement.

So what are the facts then? Is the number actually 287? Or 0? Or are the dogs that are put down terminally ill anyway?
 
How many dogs were put down in the last three years?

Also, why does the MOD have that many dogs?

The number is probably right with the amount of dogs we have had to put down but the reason they have been put down is because they are to ill or to dangerous to rehome.

The MoD has so many dogs because they are an essential asset to our operations in the UK to our operations overseas. We have attack dogs, police dogs, drugs dogs, vehicle search dogs and explosive detection dogs.

So what are the facts then? Is the number actually 287? Or 0? Or are the dogs that are put down terminally ill anyway?

The facts are every single dog that is retired from the dog is considered for rehoming. Now the two questions you have to ask is 1. Is the dog in an uncomfortable amount of pain that it will live out its last days in pain? 2. Is this dog who is trained to attack and do some real damage going to attack a person, child or baby? Now if the answer to either of those questions is yes do you think its fair for us to let the dog be rehomed? Are we putting people in danger or being cruel to the dog by letting them live in pain.

Would the papers rather right about dogs being put down or dogs being rehomed and injuring or killing people?

Since July my dog section which is the biggest in the Air Force we have retired 5 dogs and every single one of them has gone to a good home. None of them have been put down. But you won't hear about stories like that.
 
It was only a story because Prince William was involved somehow. Would the journalist rather the MOD let unsafe dogs be rehomed?

Exactly! And if you read the article in the sun it's a mountain out of a molehill article.
 
Never thought there was an issue to be honest.

Wouldnt let an army or police dog anywhere near my kids so what are they meant to do with them ?

Still what do you expect from the media. Story got more inches than the last 10 squaddies who died Im sure.
 
Today you may or may not have a chance to read the article on the front page of the sun about the MOD putting down 288 dogs in 3 years leading on from yesterday's article about Prince Williams guard dogs being put down.

Being a dog handler and a dog lover this article has infuriated me as the facts are all completely wrong (I know it's the sun what did I expect?) and an out of order reflection on how we deal with dogs at the end of their career or due in retirement.

Why I am starting this thread is to listen to people's opinions and answer any question and put straight any rumours and to help make people to not jump to crazy assumptions and all the ******** that the sun and other newspapers have written about the trade.

The dogs knew what they where signing up when they joined the army :winking:
 
The number is probably right with the amount of dogs we have had to put down but the reason they have been put down is because they are to ill or to dangerous to rehome.

The MoD has so many dogs because they are an essential asset to our operations in the UK to our operations overseas. We have attack dogs, police dogs, drugs dogs, vehicle search dogs and explosive detection dogs.

Some genuine questions

1. What's an attack dog? Is that like the type you'd see on Blue Peter which attacks anybody with a bit of foam on their arm? Are they trained killers?
2. Does the MoD do drugs work?
3. What's a vehicle search dog - and how is that different from a drugs or explosive detection dog?
4. How many dogs does the MoD have?
 
What's amazing is that this story made the front page of a national newspaper anyway. A sad reflection on Britain.
 
Some genuine questions

1. What's an attack dog? Is that like the type you'd see on Blue Peter which attacks anybody with a bit of foam on their arm? Are they trained killers?
2. Does the MoD do drugs work?
3. What's a vehicle search dog - and how is that different from a drugs or explosive detection dog?
4. How many dogs does the MoD have?

1. Attack dog or know as a patrol dog is taught to either bite on the arm or if a suit dog will bite pretty much anywhere. I have worked with dogs who have had confirmed kills in Afghanistan.
2. Yes as in the forces there is obviously drugs so we have drugs search dogs.
3. A vehicle search dog is a dog that will search a vehicle for explosives. Basically the dog is not good enough to search like an explosives dog so won't be able to detect explosives when out on the ground but will find them on vehicles with ease.
4. I don't know that one sorry.
 
1. Attack dog or know as a patrol dog is taught to either bite on the arm or if a suit dog will bite pretty much anywhere. I have worked with dogs who have had confirmed kills in Afghanistan.
2. Yes as in the forces there is obviously drugs so we have drugs search dogs.
3. A vehicle search dog is a dog that will search a vehicle for explosives. Basically the dog is not good enough to search like an explosives dog so won't be able to detect explosives when out on the ground but will find them on vehicles with ease.
4. I don't know that one sorry.

1. A suit dog? Is that an autocorrect from assault dog?

2. is that for purely internal searches (ie searching military personnel)?

3. What makes it harder when out on the ground than in a car?

Sorry for all the questions (and thank you for the answers), but this is an area I know nothing about.
 
1. A suit dog? Is that an autocorrect from assault dog?

2. is that for purely internal searches (ie searching military personnel)?

3. What makes it harder when out on the ground than in a car?

Sorry for all the questions (and thank you for the answers), but this is an area I know nothing about.

1. Sorry I should of explained we train them to attack us whilst wearing a full suit which means they will attack anywhere. Most of the patrol dogs are right arm true and will just bite the right arm.

2. Military personnel or those subject to service law.

3. Basically an explosive search dog can detect an ied in open ground so they have to be the best of the best. Vehicle search are good at searching a finding in vehicles but not so much in an open space. So an explosive search will help protect the troops out on patrol.
 
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