The dogs of war

These four-legged heroes are often a soldier's best friend

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Dogs have a long history of being essential in wars.
(Image credit: The Associated Press)
A Red Cross dog finds a wounded soldier, circa 1917.
(Image credit: (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)The United States first introduced its canine corps during World War II. In an attempt to fill out its four-legged ranks on short notice, the military put out a c)

A French officer writes a message while a dog stands by ready to deliver it, circa 1939.
(Image credit: (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images))

Three Airedale dogs wear special gas masks at a kennel in England, circa 1939.
(Image credit: (Keystone/Getty Images))

An Alsatian defense dog lays a telephone cable in an unknown location on Nov. 12, 1940. The dog would carry a mile of cable, being let out from a roll on her back, over bomb-pitted, barbed-wire-entangled ground, in just two minutes.
(Image credit: (AP Photo))

A German Shepherd who works as an ammunition carrier, alongside a soldier in a gun pit in the Eastern Command area of Great Britain on Sept. 3, 1941.
(Image credit: (AP Photo/British Official Photo))

A camouflaged Marine gives silent instructions to a jungle-trained dog on the front lines of the beachhead in Bougainville, Solomon Islands, on Jan. 13, 1944, during World War II.
(Image credit: (AP Photo))

A scout dog, fighting against a strong current, swims across a muddy stream during an operation west of Saigon on Sept. 13, 1968. The dog's handler uses cable to work his way across.
(Image credit: (AP Photo))

A Labrador retriever scout dog aids U.S. soldiers near Phong Phu in Vietnam on Nov. 10, 1967.
(Image credit: (AP Photo))

A sergeant and his dog run for cover during a gun battle with suspected Taliban militants near the village of Jilga, Afghanistan, on July 8, 2010.
(Image credit: (REUTERS/Bob Strong))

A Marine sits with his improvised explosive device–sniffing dog, Bee, as he tries to cope with the death of a fellow soldier during a patrol on October 17, 2010, in Kajaki, Afghanistan.
(Image credit: (Scott Olson/Getty Images))

A soldier pets an explosives-sniffing dog in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on June 26, 2011.
(Image credit: (REUTERS/Baz Ratner))

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.