Military dog program well attended at theater

Those who came out Friday evening to view the film “Max” at Capitol II Theatre got a special treat.

Representatives of the “Dogs That Do Incredible Service” program were on hand with two service dogs in training to meet attendees, and to discuss the Puppy Jake Foundation, an organization whose mission is to train dogs to assist veterans.

“Puppy Jake Foundation is based out of Des Moines. We’re a nonprofit that is dedicated to raising, training and then placing service dogs with military veterans,” said Puppy Jake Foundation Representative Renee Jetter.

Two dogs, Harold and Herman, came to the theater to continue their work to become service dogs and show an example of what a service dog is. The trainers spoke, answered questions about how to interact with the dogs and discussed the various stages of training.

Newton native and member of the National Guard, Captain Chad Wallway also shared about his experience working with military dogs and a history of dogs in the military.

“The first reported times that dogs were used in military operations was the mid-7th century B.C. The Persians, Egyptians and Romans used war dogs,” Wallway said.

The United States Military first began using dogs during the Civil War to find wounded soldiers on the battlefield, Wallway said. During World War I, they were used to deliver messages and World War II marked the first time dogs were used in combat.

Following the Vietnam War and the success the Air Force had with military dogs, a joint military dog school was established at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

“The cool part is that any kennel master can work with any dog team. It is joint among all branches of the military,” Wallway said.

The most common breeds of dogs selected for the military program are Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, Labradors and some spaniel breeds. The dogs used are bred by the military specifically.

There are more than 2,000 dogs in the military. Specific work includes bite work, which is when a dog pursues during a mission, and detection work, where a dog hunts out bombs or drugs.

“After the dog’s service is over and they are able to retire, they are put up for adoption. The Air Force base has an adoption program where people can register to adopt the retired dogs,” Wallway said.

Following the presentation, more than 90 moviegoers got to watch military dogs in action, during and after service, in the movie.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com