So who was the dog that took part on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden? Like the other members of the elite SEAL team, the dog has remained anonymous; we don’t even know its breed. The odds-on favorite is that it was a German shepherd; second-best guess is a Belgian Malinois, which is a type of Belgian shepherd. A teacup poodle devotee might take exception to these guesses, but hey, I’m just doing the math; these are the breeds used most often by the military.
Dogs really are perfect soldiers. They are brave and smart; they can smell through walls, see in the dark, and eat Army rations without complaint. It has been speculated that one of the most important jobs the SEAL dog might have done was to sniff the bin Laden compound for explosives and booby traps. For years, researchers have tried to engineer a device that is as sensitive as a dog’s nose but haven’t even come close. I actually love that such a device hasn’t been invented; I love that there is something about dogs that outdoes science and can’t be replicated by a machine.
Sense of smell, of course, is only one of those dog qualities that can’t be replicated or improved upon. I’ve been researching dogs in warfare for my book about Rin Tin Tin, and I’ve read many accounts of their heroics: carrying messages through battle, alerting troops to enemy planes, and even parachuting behind enemy lines. The greatest feat, though, was performed by what were called “mercy dogs” in the First World War. These dogs walked among the troops on a battlefield, after the fighting had simmered down, carrying saddlebags of first-aid supplies. Wounded soldiers could call the dogs over and then help themselves whatever they needed. Those who were more gravely wounded could call the dogs over so they could embrace them and have their company while they died. A dog can do that, and would do that, with all its heart, and with tender patience. Nothing will ever be better, or more perfect, than that.
