Training Dogs For War
COLORADO (CBS) -- In a sandy valley near a southern Colorado mountain range, a former Marine is training German Shepherds for war.
This is where dogs like the one Seal Team 6 took into Osama Bin Laden's compound learn how to support the military.
"They can swim, do parachute jumps. They have to be stable. They have to be quiet," says Alex Dunbar, who runs Close Quarter Battle K-9 School.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager reports.
He explains the dogs are outfitted with armor to protect them from shrapnel. They also have cameras mounted on their heads streaming live video to human supervisors in other positions.
Some of the dogs even have titanium teeth implanted.
"The dogs are the first ones in there," says Dunbar. "If there's somebody in there they can identify possibly really quickly and they can move in faster, but what they're doing is saving lives… they seek out and make sure there are no IED's or booby traps."
Dunbar assures the dogs under his care are treated and fed well, and given a lot of love and attention, which is why they end up so loyal to their handlers.
