Lucca - Meet One of America's Furry War Heroes

From Yahoo! News

What has three legs, a Purple Heart, and fur all over?

Meet German Shepard mix Lucca, a Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient (albeit unofficial) credited as a war hero for her work sniffing out IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lucca, who lost a front paw while serving on the front lines, is the subject of new book “Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca.” And along with her first handler and current owner, Gunnery Sgt. Chris Willingham, this furry war hero recently sat down for an interview with “Power Players.”

Willingham is part of a special unit of dog handlers within the Marine Corps and was first assigned to be Lucca’s handler when she was still a young, untrained dog. The two quickly became a pair and trained together for a year before being deployed to Iraq, where Lucca quickly put her sniffing skills into action.

“In our first week in our first big mission … Lucca went up and indicated there was an explosive there and that was the first time she saved my life,” Willingham said. “It was a really validating moment from all the hard work and training we put in together, to the moment she actually found an IED on an operation, so it was a great, great day."

While active in the Marine Corps, Lucca was identified as a piece of equipment would be, with the ID designation K458. But to the troops she protected, she was known as “Mama Lucca.”

“She is a Marine,” Willingham said. “She's treated just like a Marine. When she got injured, she was medevac’d just like a Marine. They get top notch veterinary treatment -- their medical care, their health care, their dental care -- it's top notch. We treat these dogs outstanding, their part of our team, and Lucca probably knows more about me than anybody else, except my wife."

Click here to watch the video interview or read the full article.

9/11 Hero Dogs

A Salute to Military Canines

Sgt. Stubby - War Hero Dog

Meet America's first war dog, a stray Pit Bull/Terrier mix, named Stubby. He became Sgt. Stubby, was the most decorated war dog of World War I, and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat.

One day, he appeared at Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut, while a group of soldiers were training, stopping to make friends with the soldiers as they drilled. One soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, developed a fondness for the dog. He named him Stubby because of his short legs. When it became time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on board the troop ship. In order to keep the dog, the private taught him to salute his commanding officers, warming their hearts to him.

Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division in the trenches in France for 18 months and participated in four offensives and 18 battles. The loud noise of the bombs and gunfire did not bother him. He was never content to stay in the trenches but went out and found wounded soldiers.

Stubby entered combat on February 5, 1918, at Chemin des Dames, north of Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night, for over a month. In April 1918, during a raid to take Schieprey, Stubby was wounded in the foreleg by the retreating Germans throwing hand grenades. He was sent to the rear for convalescence; and, as he had done on the front, was able to improve morale. When he recovered from his wounds, Stubby returned to the trenches.

After being gassed and nearly dying himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, continued to locate wounded soldiers in no man's land; and, since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could, became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover.

He was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. The spy made the mistake of speaking German to him when they were alone. Stubby knew that he was no ally and attacked him, biting and holding on to him by the seat of his pants until his comrades could secure him.

Following the retaking of Chateau-Thierry by the U.S., the thankful women of the town made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals. There is also a legend that while in Paris with Corporal Conroy, Stubby saved a young girl from being hit by a car. At the end of the war, Conroy smuggled Stubby home.

Upon returning home, Stubby became a celebrity and marched in, and normally led, many parades across the country. He met Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding. Starting in 1921, he attended Georgetown University Law Center with Conroy, and became the Georgetown Hoyas' team mascot. He would be given the football at halftime and would nudge the ball around the field to the amusement of the fans.

Stubby was made a life member of the American Legion, the Red Cross, and the YMCA. In 1921, the Humane Education Society awarded him a special gold medal for service to his country. It was presented by General John J. Pershing.

In 1926, Stubby died in Conroy's arms. His remains are featured in The Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibit at the Smithsonian. Stubby was honored with a brick in the Walk of Honor at the United States World War I monument, Liberty Memorial, in Kansas City, at a ceremony held on Armistice Day, November 11, 2006.

Related blog post:
Pit Bull is US's Most Decorated Military Dog

K-9 Hereos of 9/11

This is a wonderful e-mail that I received in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

OLD WONDERFUL FACES SAY IT ALL...

True heroes of 9/11 still with us today:


Moxie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days.


Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight days.


Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble.



Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days.


Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days.


Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days.


Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines.



Abigail, above, was deployed on the evening of September 17, searching for 10 days while Tuff arrived in New York at 11:00 pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day.


Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to the World Trade Center from their home in Denver on September 24 and searched for five days.


Scout and another unknown dog lie among the rubble at Ground Zero, just two of nearly 100 search and rescue animals who helped to search for survivors.

During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.

Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled 'Retrieved'.

The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public.

Traveling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11.

Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called Retrieved, which was published on the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted 'Retrieved' to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs.

'I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human stories involved,' explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam.

'They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.'

Hero Dogs of 9/11

From CesarsWay.com

Ten years after that fateful day, a rescue dog named Abby is enjoying her retirement

At first glance, Abby the black Lab doesn’t look her age. There are very few gray hairs on her muzzle, and she’s as alert and intelligent as she ever was. Watch her on her daily walks with Debra Tosch, though, and you can see the decline. The back legs are starting to go, and she just can’t move the way she used to. At 14, Abby is an elderly dog in the twilight of her life.

But what a life she’s had!

Abby’s a retired search-and-rescue dog, and she and Debra, who was her handler, worked in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit. They also worked California’s deadly La Conchita mudslide in 2005. Just two days before she retired, on her 11th birthday, Abby searched for survivors at the scene of a train wreck in California. And she’s one of the few dogs still living who hunted through the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center desperately seeking signs of life after the September 11 attacks 10 years ago.

Read the full story on the Cesar Millan's website.

Sgt Reckless - Korean War Horse Hero

Heroes Among Us: Military Dogs

A great article from the Cesar's Way June 2011 newsletter:

Over the past month since the world learned that a Navy SEALs dog named “Cairo” helped carry out the mission that took down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a wave of fascination with military dogs has surged.

The dog, assumed to be a Belgian Malinois, is as much a classified and protected member of the military as any human, and whose identity—along with the human SEALs—may never be revealed. President Obama is one of the few people to have met the dog, in a closed-door session following the U.S. arrival of the SEALs team.

Cairo (and the other nearly 3,000 dogs on active duty in the American military like him) have a critical role in protecting the troops, whose importance was relatively unknown until the raid on bin Laden catapulted it into the public eye.

Read the full article on Cesar's website:
http://www.cesarsway.com/news/dognews/Heroes-Among-Us

Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pet

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

We often hear about heroic warrior dogs that courageously go into battle alongside their human counterparts and assist in the most dangerous missions, including the most recent operation that took down Osama Bin Laden. But what about the everyday companion dogs that are left at home when their soldier owners go off to fight? One organization is making sure that those dogs are not forgotten.

Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet was established in January 2005 by founders Linda Spurlin-Dominik and Carol Olmedo after they had learned that many soldiers were unable to find local caretakers for their pets and were relinquishing their dogs to local shelters due to a deployment. Some get adopted, while others are euthanized due to age or overcrowding.

The two Arkansas residents decided that something had to be done to help these pet owners keep their animal companions safe and cared for while they were away serving their nation. Spurlin-Dominik understood the needs, as the daughter of the late Coy H. Spurlin, who served during World War II in the “Battle of the Bulge,” and the widow of John T. Dominik, a Vietnam Era Army Veteran. She has been involved with supporting the military community, veterans, their families, and their beloved pets for more than three decades.

Read the full article on the Cesar Milan website.

Remembering War Dogs this Memorial Day

Here is a wonderful website that honors dogs that have served our country:
http://www.uswardogs.org/

Discovery Channel also produced a documentary in 2000 called "War Dogs: America's Forgotten Heroes": http://www.war-dogs.com/.

Many thanks to the dogs and their handlers for protecting our soldiers and our country during wartimes. And a very HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY to all of our war veterans -- human and canine! You are not forgotten!