Recertification drills put MPs,
military working dogs through paces
By Rick Chernitzer,
Stars and Stripes
CAMP ZAMA, Japan — It was so dark, many of the 88th Military
Police soldiers hardly could see their hands in front of their faces.
However, it wasn’t their eyes that were important as much as the
noses of their partners — military working dogs.
Each handler would take his dog and scout through the trees of Dewey
Park here, trying to find a person hiding in the dark. Once found, the handler was to
properly subdue the offender, known as a “decoy,” until told the drill was over.
The dogs were judged on how quickly they latched on to the
decoy’s scent and how the animal reacted when the decoy was found. Would the dog be
calm and keep a careful eye on its handler should the decoy try anything funny? Would the
handler be able to apprehend the decoy while keeping his dog from attacking?
The drills are part of the animals’ annual recertification. Both
the handler and the dog must pass critical requirements, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Gerald
Carter.
“A handler and his dog have got to work as a team,” he
said. “Their personalities have got to mesh.”
He took for example Sgt. Christopher LeLonde, who he described as a
“type-A personality.”
“If you watch his dog, you’ll see he’s somewhat like
him,” Carter said. “We try to match up personalities. Some don’t respond
well with certain handlers. But when you get a good match, it really works out.”
Carter came here from the U.S. Army Military Police Brigade in Hawaii
to certify the teams in several different areas, including narcotics searching, patrolling
and escorting prisoners.
During the past week, Carter had the dogs of the 88th practice
attacking and subduing assailants and searching for narcotics in buildings.
But on this nearly moonless night, the dogs were tested on their
scouting abilities.
Handlers began by determining wind direction. Throwing loose dog fur,
loose grass and even blowing cigarette smoke into the air usually does the job. They take
the dog into the wind, hoping the dog will catch the scents they associate with humans.
The team will move in a straight line through the area, covering it completely and keeping
track of changes in the wind. If the dog catches a whiff of something, he breaks from the
line and heads toward the scent.
Five sets of handlers and dogs were being tested one evening.
Doki and his handler, Sgt. Clarence Franklin, are hot on the
decoy’s trail. The Tervarian shepherd cuts from the scouting pattern and makes his
way up the small hill. Franklin knows he has his prey.
“If you’re under the [picnic] table or behind the trees,
get out,” he commands to the decoy. He does this several times before the decoy shows
himself.
Doki doesn’t like this one bit and starts acting up. Franklin
quickly gets his dog under control. In the quick review Carter gives each of the soldiers,
he reminds Franklin that sometimes a person might not speak the same language and not
understand his commands.
“Remember this is Japan, and some of these people don’t
understand English,” he calmly explains.
In any case, Carter explains later, it’s important to keep the
dog under control at all times.
“It’s a scary thing, especially dealing with
civilians,” Carter said of the excitability some military working dogs possess.
“We try to teach the dogs self-control.”
He looks over at Doki, tail wagging a mile a minute.
“That dog is pumped up.”
Carter said a little bit of excitement is acceptable, but it
underscores why the drills have to be as realistic as possible: The handlers must know how
their dogs will react under stress and unknown situations.
“We even have the handlers and the decoys dress in civilian
clothes, so the dogs don’t assume they can only attack someone [in camouflage
dress],” Carter said.
The dog must recognize the handler, in and out of uniform, he said.
Nero, a dog handled by Sgt. Sean Shiplett, seemed to have found the
scent almost right away. Carter said the handlers leave a lot of slack in the leash while
determining wind direction, in case the dog latches on to the decoy’s scent by
chance.
“It’s really luck of the draw how the winds will shift as
to how quickly the dog” can catch the scent, Carter said.
Unfortunately for Nero, the trail went cold, and he was unable to
find the decoy. But Carter said that happens.
“Dogs are just like people in that they have bad days,
too,” Carter explained.
Sometimes the dog might lose its bearings if it feels its handler may
be in danger, Carter said.
The last dog of the evening, Amigo, sniffs out his prey for Sgt.
Justin Feder. While Feder is searching the decoy, Amigo shuffles nervously, letting out
whines that are punctuated with desperate barks. Eventually, he inches closer to the
decoy.
Carter said ideally, the dog should stay close, but yet away from the
scene so it can launch itself into an attack should the decoy try anything. But Feder said
he believes in a real situation, Amigo would always come to his aid.
“I can trust the dog,” Feder said. “He knows what
he’s got to do, and he does it.”
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