SENTRY DOGS
SENTRY DOGS, AS WELL AS THEIR M.P. DOG
HANDLERS, WERE ASSIGNED TO ALL NIKE HERCULES SITES. THE DOGS WERE
USED TO PATROL THE AREA BETWEEN THE LAUNCHER AREA FENCE AND THE
EXCLUSION AREA (LAUNCHING AREA) FENCE. THE DOGS WERE PRIMARILY
UTILIZED AT NIGHT TO AUGMENT THE SECURITY OF THE SITE. ON AVERAGE,
THERE WERE FOUR DOGS PER SITE, ALTHOUGH SITES OVERSEAS TENDED TO HAVE
MORE. A DOG WAS ASSIGNED TO ONE HANDLER WHO HAD TO CARE FOR THE DOG
IN ADDITION TO PATROLLING WITH IT. THE DOGS WERE PURPOSELY TRAINED TO
BE OVERLY AGGRESSIVE AND WERE BASICALLY FRIENDLY TO THEIR HANDLER AND
NO ONE ELSE. FOR EXAMPLE, DOGS TRAINED FOR POLICE WORK TODAY LIVE
WITH THEIR OFFICER/HANDLER AND ARE BASICALLY FRIENDLY UNTIL COMMANDED
TO DO OTHERWISE. SENTRY DOGS WERE NOT THIS WAY. YOU DIDN'T WANT TO
GET CLOSE TO ONE OF THESE DOGS. ON OCCASION A DOG WOULD GET LOOSE
FROM ITS PEN. WHEN THIS HAPPENED YOU WOULD SEE SOLDIERS SCRAMBLE TO
GET TO A SAFE PLACE BECAUSE THAT DOG WOULD ATTACK THEM. IN MOST
CASES, WHEN A DOG HANDLER WAS TRANSFERRED HIS DOG WOULD GO WITH HIM.
WHEN A DOG HANDLER LEFT THE SERVICE AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO INTRODUCE
A NEW HANDLER TO THE DOG. IN SOME CASES THE DOG WOULD NOT ACCEPT A
NEW HANDLER AND HAD TO BE PUT DOWN. DOGS WOULD BE PUT DOWN WHEN THEY
WERE TOO OLD TO WORK.
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Photo courtesy of the NPS GGNRA Ezio F. Nurisio Nike Collection
THIS SAYS IT ALL!