As you read these words, hundreds of U.S. Military Working Dog teams are protecting our troops from hidden IEDs and ambushes and guarding our bases at home and around the world. WARRIOR PUPS takes you inside the breeding, raising and basic training of the dogs as well as the training of their brave human handlers.
We spent 31 days with the K9 community at Lackland Air Force Base where some of America's Military Working Dogs are bred and almost all are trained. It is also the place where military police officers undergo 11 weeks of grueling training to become the dogs' handlers. The handlers and their dogs love the work. They are wired for the adventure and we are all blessed to have them protect us.
Our adventure began at Lackland in San Antonio. When you enter that space, you quickly sense a connection between the two species that is powerful and challenging. The connective tissue of the bond between handler and canine is unconditional love. It may be the purest form of love that humans can have other than the connection between parent and child. And even that child-parent connection can become frayed by conditions that get added on as the child matures. When you train to walk behind a dog into hell to keep others safe from hidden bombs and ambushes, you become something larger than yourself. You become half of a Military Working Dog team - an instrument with the highest calling in the world: the protection of human life.
Once you’ve read our book, you will truly know some of the inspiring people who make up the American Military Working Dog community. If the handlers and trainers you meet in these pages seem passionate, dedicated and brave, well then I got it right. As for the fosters who raise the babies for the DoD Puppy Breeding Program, they are about as eclectic a group of genuine American patriots as you will ever meet. Their dedication to raising the baby dogs who become defenders of our bases and our troops is phenomenal. The work and the energy required to be an effective foster is daunting. They do have fun with the adorable warrior pups, when the critters aren’t biting the walls and shredding the rugs! These are not house pets; they are Warrior Pups!
