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379 ESFS man-canine duos safeguard lives

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clinton Atkins
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Southwest Asia --  It takes teamwork to take a bite out of crime. So in the tradition of the dynamic duo, partners work together to defend this desert airfield in Southwest Asia. 

The 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron military working dog section here uses the combined forces of handlers and the ferocity and keen sense of smell of various herding canine breeds to defend the lives of U.S. and Coalition Forces. 

"We screen for explosives and find bad guys," said Bob Kisner, 379 ESFS military working dog trainer, a native of Jacksonville, Fla. "The military working dog teams work at installation entry points and throughout the base conducting law enforcement and security patrols." 

Each of the assigned MWD teams work more than 100 hours in searches per month. 

"Our search areas include the main gate and routine patrolling of various locations throughout the base," Mr. Kisner said. "That's not even counting distinguished visitor support and special security requests." 

Forged in the fires of rigorous training, the dogs and their handlers have ascertained a 100 percent detection rating. 

"These dogs don't miss anything," Mr. Kisner said. "The dogs conduct detection training throughout the week in several different locations as well as patrol training, which is bite work. 

"Training is our foundation," he said. "We have a training regimen every day where each team has to do different amounts of obedience, detection and patrol work based upon their individual proficiency level." 

Given the significance of their job, the military working dog teams train with the real thing. 

"We train with explosives," Mr. Kisner said. "They're not simulated or fake they're actual explosives. There's no substitute for the real thing." 

As any trainer will admit, the secret recipe to a military working dog team's success derives from the bond between a handler and his dog. 

"You can take 10 people and each one is going to have their own special ways about themselves and dogs are the same way," he said. "(When a new handler) gets a dog, they try to match those personalities up. 

"Sometimes it's with the luck of the draw and sometimes the handler just needs to figure out what the dog needs," Mr. Kisner said. "Having a good rapport with your dog is your building block. If the dog doesn't want to work for you then that team will not be successful." 

A military working dog is much more than man's best friend - he's family, said Staff Sgt. Edward Lawlor, 379 ESFS military working dog handler. 

"The relationship you build with your dog makes it almost like having another child," said the Conn., native and father of two. 

Sergeant Lawlor and his dog, Ringo, are deployed from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and together they have successfully deterred explosives for more than two years. 

"You have to build trust, especially when your job is to find explosives," he said. "If your dog doesn't understand how or what he's supposed to be doing he can get you killed. If I release him to bite somebody I have to trust that he's going to do everything I tell him to, otherwise I can get in trouble for excessive force. Anything he does falls on me.
"They're like children, but they don't communicate back to me in a language," Sergeant Lawlor said. "You have to know what he is doing by his behavior." 

To develop a good working relationship, dogs and their handlers undergo a gamut of training. Before a team is even allowed to deploy, they must first demonstrate the culmination of their training. 

"Military working dog teams go through an extensive validation process with the kennel master," Mr. Kisner said. "Once they are finished with that they'll be certified by the commander." 

Once a team arrives in country they'll receive further evaluation. 

"When they come into a deployed location we do an evaluation where we'll spend about the first month watching the dogs very closely until we know they're at the standard we want them at," he said. "They normally are, but we just watch for deviations because when you bring a dog to a new location they may act differently and their sense of smell may be affected." 

With potentially thousands of lives at risk, no precaution is unnecessary. 

"We've sent dogs home before for not meeting standards," Mr. Kisner said. "We can't jeopardize base safety for substandard performance. We don't have that option." 

Being a military working dog handler isn't for everybody, Mr. Kisner said. 

"It takes a certain kind of person to do this job," he said. "A dog is a huge responsibility, even more so than a weapon because the dog can think and act on its own." 

The most difficult thing about being a handler though, is when the time comes to leave the dog, Sergeant Lawlor said. 

"It's probably the hardest thing to do," he said. "Whether you PCS or separate, the dog stays behind. I don't want to leave him anywhere. Where I go he has to come with me.
"I hope to adopt him when he retires," Sergeant Lawlor said.