100th SFS MWDs: Make no bones about it; the bite is definitely worse than the bark

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The good thing about wearing an outfit that weighs 35 pounds and makes you look like a sumo wrestler having a fat day is that you can take it off again.

The bad thing is that you look like a sumo wrestler having a fat day. Well, that and the fact that when you also have two German Shepherds taking turns snarling and staring at you with an evil glint in their eyes, straining at the leash, ready to hurl their 75- and 85-pound bodies at you - you want to run.

However, in that jacket and trousers - or "bite suit" as it's known - you can't run anywhere; not even slowly. In fact, it's a job to even walk without falling over (and if that happened, there would be no getting up again any time soon).

At the 100th Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dogs section, there's certainly nowhere for any sumo wrestler-lookalike to hide. Believe me, I know from experience.

For my second "challenge" (my first was having a go in the live-fire trainer with the firefighters - Chief, if there's a fire and you need my help, you've got my number) it was decided (mainly by my coworkers) that this time I should don a bite suit, and put an MWD through its paces.

Ever up for a daring adventure, and laughing in the face of danger, I thought to myself, "Whatever. I can do this ... I can do this ... Uh oh - can I do this?"

Strangely enough, some of my coworkers enthusiastically (come to think of it, a little too enthusiastically for my liking) tagged along as my own personal entourage of photographers and videographers. The funny thing was, they weren't laughing quite so loud when one of the dogs was more interested in trying to chase after them with their cameras and video cameras, than he was in coming after me.

But the whole reason behind this "adventure" was to show a little part of what the military working dogs can do, how they protect and serve RAF Mildenhall and their country while working alongside their human counterparts, and to help people understand the importance of their role.

MWDs Desant and Ronny, my "attackers" for this demonstration, are two of RAF Mildenhall's military working dogs, all of whom are either specialist narcotics or explosive detection dogs. Tech. Sgt. Bradley Donoghue, 100th SFS MWD kennel master, Staff Sgt. Ben Watrous (MWD Ronny's handler) and Staff Sgt. Joe Hayes III, (MWD Desant's handler) were in charge of the K-9 duo.

In addition to providing a vital detection capability that is unmatched for both narcotics and explosives, the dogs also act as a psychological deterrent to the "bad guys" in the area, said Sergeant Donoghue.

"They provide a visible deterrent, and when they are seen at the gate or out on patrol, people immediately recognize them," the Omaha, Neb., native said. "Most people have either seen them in person, or footage of their capabilities, which acts to dissuade them from the wrong course of action."

He added that the dogs are an asset not only because of the deterrent factor, but because of the sheer capabilities they have, with both detection and patrol work. There are both male and female MWDs at RAF Mildenhall, ranging in age from 4 to 12 years; two are Belgian Malinois and the rest are German Shepherds.

Acting as "partners", Sergeant Donoghue said the dogs accompany their handlers at all times while on duty.

"They are trained to participate in apprehensions, random detection sweeps throughout the base, and any patrol response the handlers may encounter. There are, of course, situations when having a dog there is neither feasible nor practical, such as major traffic accidents," he said. "But in cases like this, though the handler won't have the dog with him or her, the dog will still be visible and available if needed."

The dogs also get to deploy with their handlers.

At the start of the dogs' careers, usually aged between 6 months to 2 ½ years, the MWDs receive their first training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for about six months, prior to arriving at their base. Once they arrive at the base they will be permanently stationed at, it then takes up to two months further training, to get the dogs to a level where the kennel master feels comfortable for them to be working "out on the road," said Sergeant Donoghue.

The kennel master said that when either a new dog (or new handler) comes in, the new partners have to spend time getting used to one another.

"They'll spend the first week getting accustomed to each other's habits and mannerisms, and just spending time together doing things like taking walks and grooming," he said. "After that, we tend to jump right into obedience, and once they have a firm grasp and good control, we'll move into aggression and detection training."

As well as their handlers and the kennel master, the MWDs are also looked after by Staff Sgt. Ralph Conklin, 100th SFS MWD trainer, and Debbie Black, the kennel attendant and a Ministry of Defence employee.

It takes a certain kind of person to work so closely with a dog, especially doing the kind of work that security forces does. Sergeant Hayes said he chose to become an MWD handler rather than a "regular cop", and for him that choice was easy.

"I've always been fascinated how a K-9 can be trained to do aggression and detection tasks, and to do them extremely well day in and day out," he said. "You have to put in a lot of time with these MWDs to make them perform like a well-oiled machine. When you see a demonstration of the military working dogs' abilities, you are seeing the commitment that the dog and the handler have with one another. For me, there's nothing better than that."

The Cookeville, Tenn., native said that for him, the most special thing about working with the dogs is the bond that is built.

"Once you've worked with a K-9 long enough, you know what he's thinking. You know if he's having a good or a bad day, and vice versa. K-9s are just like children - they are going to test the waters and see what they can get away with," MWD Desant's handler said. "But once you've established a rapport with them, the things you can do as a team are endless. Desant is a very loyal K-9. Once he trusts you, he'll give his life to protect yours.

"He has his quirks though - one thing he hates is cameras. He also likes to bite your shoes. You can be standing there, and the next thing you know, he's play-fighting with your shoes. It's awesome!" said Sergeant Hayes, adding that as long as he has Desant by his side, he knows his dog will do everything in its power to protect him.

"Loyalty is his best quality, and his unconditional love towards his handler makes him a great MWD," he said.

Thankfully, I wasn't hurt during the demonstration, but only because the kennel master made sure I would be completely safe, before I even arrived at the working dogs section. He made sure I was covered - practically from head to toe - in extremely padded, protective clothing, while the handlers kept their dogs on a leash and called them off after a very short while.

But any real "bad guys" won't be so lucky - had I not been wearing that protective gear, those dogs would almost certainly have done some serious damage to my arms or legs.

Also, if Desant and Ronny had been let off by their leashes by their handlers to chase me at high speed, I definitely would have been well and truly knocked off my feet - and probably writing this from a hospital bed.

Luckily, I had the 100th SFS guys on my side, and they made sure their dogs went easy on me. But anyone getting on the wrong side of the law at RAF Mildenhall may well end up getting up close and personal with one of the MWDs - and take it from someone who has been there, it's not where they want to be.