R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Mildenhall’s M-W-D

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tenley Long
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Dogs are known as man’s best friend, right? In the U.S. Air Force, military working dogs are also seen as Airmen’s superior.

“In the past, these military working dogs used to be seen just as weapons; now they’re treated as service members,” said Tech. Sgt. Samuel E. Giordano, 100th Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog kennel master. “All of our dogs are dual purpose. Not only can they sniff out things from narcotics to explosives, but they also serve as a psychosocial deterrence.”

Military working dogs play a vital role in law enforcement, and their trainers ensure they have the necessary tools to succeed – one of those tools being respect.

“We have to start respecting the dogs from the very beginning, as for the dog to feel that respect from the handler takes time,” explained Staff Sgt. Roy Carter, 100th SFS MWD trainer. “The very first part of our training is rapport-building. We take the dogs for a walk, bathe them, groom them and play with them to let them know we are their new handlers. You’ll build the rapport in the first weeks, but it takes months for the team to actually come together. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

In the military, respect is typically earned with rank. Service members are taught to respect their superiors, and also to have a general respect for all people.

“All military working dogs are given a rank that is one above their handler. This is to ensure the dogs are given the respect they deserve,” Carter explained. “For example, I’m a staff sergeant and my dog, Gina, is equivalent to a technical sergeant; so I’m going to treat and respect her as if she was higher ranking than me.”

Along with rank, another item in the success toolbox is confidence. Handlers build the confidence of their canine counterpart to help excel in training.

“We like to end training with the dog winning because the dog’s confidence will build,” Carter said. “If the dog has the confidence and knows he or she can complete a certain task, it boosts its capabilities, and the dog will be ready for the next hurdle. We want the dogs to prance around thinking it’s the biggest, baddest thing in the yard.”

Although the ranking system is an unspoken rule among the military working dog community, it’s a tradition that the trainers and handlers pass onto incoming Airmen to ensure these dogs are treated with R-E-S-P-E-C-T.