Military personnel Corporal Mike Dowling and his canine companion Rex conducting duties during a patrol in Iraq, year 2004.
In the spring of 2004, history was made as the first 30 dog teams, including one handler and his German shepherd named Rex, were sent into Iraq. This marked the first use of war dogs by U.S. forces in three decades.
Douglas Miller, the military working dog program manager for the Department of Defense, acknowledged the invaluable asset that explosive detector dogs like Rex were in combat areas. The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was causing significant issues for U.S. and coalition forces, and these canine heroes helped ensure the freedom of movement for ground patrols.
Rex, described as intelligent, athletic, and always listening to his handler, was part of a marine unit rushing towards a building believed to be the base for insurgents. The handler and his dog spent the majority of their seven-month deployment based in Mahmoudiyah, Iraq.
Dowling, Rex's handler, wrote a book titled "Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog," detailing their experiences. Dowling now lives in Los Angeles, while Rebecca Frankel, the executive editor of Foreign Policy's print magazine, wrote a New York Times-bestselling book about dogs in combat called "War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love." Frankel currently resides in Washington, D.C. with her dog, Dyngo, a retired military working dog.
Including contract working dogs, the total number of dog teams would exceed 600. The commanders who deployed the first dog teams to the Iraq conflict were primarily U.S. military K9 unit leaders, including handlers from the U.S. Army's 89th Military Police Brigade. These teams included military working dogs trained for patrol and explosive detection, such as German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois.
From 2009 to 2012, the Department of Defense had around 400 to 500 dogs assigned in CENTCOM deployed operations. These military dogs formed deep bonds with their handlers, aiding them in coping with the challenges of war. The United States abandoned its war-ready military working dogs in 1975, but their reintroduction in 2004 proved to be a game changer for U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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